The Unfortunate Wedding
by sailorsenshi7
Summary: Due to a series of unfortunate incidents, Rin and Kagome are forced into an arranged marriage with the most powerful demons in all of Japan; Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. How will they adjust to these new changes and can Rin find it in her heart to commit to a demon as cold as Lord Sesshomaru? **I do not own any of the song lyrics used in these chapters, unless otherwise specified*
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, everyone! I've had a lot of positive feedback from a few of my other Rin/Sesshomaru stories, so I've decided to begin writing a few more in the hopes that everyone who reads them will enjoy it! Anyways, if you could please leave me a review to let me know if you're interested/excited about the upcoming story that would be lovely!**

* * *

"You can't be serious." I practically collapsed into the flimsy kitchen chair that was behind me, mouth gaping open in shock. My aunt had to be joking. Surely, _surely, _ Aunt Francine and I were just having a simple misunderstanding.

That had to be it. **It had to be.**

"Nonsense, Rin. I couldn't be more serious. This union has been planned for quite a while and I expect you to cooperate."

"Cooperate?! Why on earth would I do that?" What she was asking was awful. How could she expect me to do something so abhorrent that I would surely whither away and die from misery within days. Aunt Francine batted her eyes in my direction, the enormous pile of makeup coating her eye lids making it nearly impossible to keep them open.

"You will do this because it is what's best for the family."

My cousin Kagome entered the kitchen through the back door, a crushed look on her face, arms wrapped protectively around her middle.

"What's wrong with you?" I practically snapped out in frustration. "It's not like they're trying to force you to marry someone you don't even know." Kagome's sad eyes met mine before the realization sunk in. Eyes wide, I turned back to my Aunt, fury evident on my face. "You pawned Kagome, your own daughter, off on one of these demons too?"

Aunt Francine glared at me before setting down the spatula she'd been using to flip a pancake. "I did what I did because it was necessary. We've barely scraped by for years and finally an opportunity presented itself and I snatched it up."

"She gambled away the house and cut a deal with the Taisho family. She bartered us away so she could erase her previous debts to one of their many casinos."

The Taisho family? I thought I was going to die. They were by far the richest family throughout all of Japan, which was evident by the many casinos and various businesses they had floating around the entire country. To top it off, the entire family was full of dog demons. They weren't gangsters of any sort, in fact they were all respectable businessmen, which made this deal all the more suspicious.

"I don't understand. Why the hell would they want two human women?"

Aunt Francine hesitated before answering. "I didn't exactly ask questions. All I know is that you are to marry into the family. Some sort of political spiel or another."

Political spiel? I rolled my eyes. I stood up from the broken and beaten chair and stood next to Kagome, placing an arm gently around her. "We aren't going to do it." Aunt Francine opened her mouth but I continued on. "I'm serious. I'm 21 years old and Kagome is 22. Hell, we haven't lived with you in years. Did you honestly think you could just sign away our lives and we would let you? What you're attempting to do is illegal and I'm not going to let you destroy both of our lives for your selfish gain."

Aunt Francine burst into tears. "They said they would kill me if the contract was voided in any way. Please," she pleaded, latching a hand onto Kagome's forearm. "You have to accept or else." She widened her eyes dramatically, crocodile tears flowing freely down her face, completely destroying the make up she'd recently applied. I wanted to rip her hand away from Kagome's. To be honest, I kind of wanted to beat her upside the head with the frying pan that held the pancake batter, but I resisted.

It took a lot of effort.

"I..." Kagome sucked in a deep breath before looking at me beseechingly.

She wasn't serious about this, was she? Did she have any idea what the fabled Taisho brothers were like? The eldest, whose name always slipped my mind, was some sort of closed off recluse who hated any and every human he came across, and the younger one, Inu-something or another, was such a playboy it was rumored he'd slept with over 10 women at once. Who does that?

"Kagome, don't." Now I was pleading, even though I knew the battle was lost. Aunt Francine had a mean streak in her and playing to Kagome's tender heart was one of the most despicable things the woman could do. Unfortunately, I was always stumbling blindly behind Kagome, trying to protect the heart she wore on her sleeve like a badge of courage. Aunt Francine knew that if she got Kagome to consent then I would eventually follow like I always did, especially in an unknown situation like this one. What if something bad happened to Kagome, even worse then all of this madness, and I wasn't there to protect her? It would kill me and Aunt Francine knew it, damn her.

Was I the only one in this family with sense?

"I'll do it for you, mother." Kagome whispered out, a lone tear falling from her lashes and trailing down her cheek. I sighed woefully. This just wasn't my day.

"They require both of you. Please, Rin. You must help your family." Aunt Francine turned to glare in my direction, all of her previous worries seeming to vanish into thin air. It had been like this since my parents died when I was younger. Aunt Francine would cry and mope about until Kagome felt bad enough to indulge her mother in whatever she requested and with me she would glare and spit fire in my direction until I eventually caved in order to keep peace among us, for Kagome's sake.

"You mean help you. If you had any true concept of family you would never have placed Kagome and myself into a situation like this." The words came out of my mouth like steel, but if anything I felt weak and defeated.

"What do we do now?" Kagome asked her mother.

Aunt Francine smiled brightly at her daughter. "You both are to pack a few of your possessions and meet back here by noon. There will be a car waiting to take you to your new home."

"Wait, you mean we have to get rid of our apartment? We just renewed the lease!" I exclaimed, obviously taken aback by the next proceedings. Where were we supposed to go?

"It's already been taken care of. You'll be residing in one of the main houses of the Taisho residence until they decide who is to wed whom." I glared at the terror in front of me.

"For someone who doesn't know anything about all of this, you sure have a lot of information on the subject."

Aunt Francine looked away, grabbing the spatula and peeling a burned pancake from the frying pan. "I was only given information to help you find your way to your new life."

Riiiight. Why didn't I believe that?

Kagome grabbed my hand before I could start another argument. "Come on, Rin. Let's go home and pack."

I sighed miserably, hoping to God this was some sort of nightmare.

* * *

"What if they decide we're just too pathetic to marry and let us out of this agreement? That could happen, right?" I asked hopefully as we entered our sparse apartment.

"I wouldn't count on any miracles, Rin." Kagome's sad voice floated over to me as she crept into her bedroom and began gathering her clothes into a neat pile.

"But we were going to get a cat and everything," I whined pitifully as I made my way into my own measly bedroom, gathering what few possessions I had.

Kagome and I weren't rich by any means. A struggle for many came as naturally as breathing to any Higurashi member and we were no exception.

Kagome and I had recently both graduated college, thank God for scholarships, and were on our way to starting whole new, prosperous lives. I never imagined it would have been like this. Kagome had majored in interior design while I'd majored in Finance with a minor in Music. I'd always wanted to play the piano professionally, but I'd sought a more acceptable major, which would hopefully allow me to find a decent paying job more easily than music would have.

It had been a few months since Kagome and I had graduated, both with honors, and we still couldn't find a job that was willing to hire us. It was as if we were cursed and considering the terrible morning we'd both had, I was beginning to suspect that was a correct assumption.

I pulled out a ratty suitcase from under my bed, placing the only nice clothes I owned into it as well as a few nightgowns and a photo album of my parents and I when I was just a child. It was the only thing I had left of them and there was no way I was leaving it behind.

Kagome came into my room, knocking softly as she entered. "It's getting close to noon. Are you almost ready?"

"I just need to grab a few things from the bathroom and I should be all set." Kagome nodded her head before turning around and leaving.

Once we had everything we figured we'd need, Kagome and I left the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind us. The lock sliding in place was like a warning that we could never go back to our old life.

I didn't realize until much later how true that was.

* * *

We stood on the porch steps outside of Aunt Francine's house. I clutched my thin, old jacket around me, hoping to keep a bit of the chill from my bones. So far, nothing was working as it should have. Coats were supposed to keep me warm, but all this was doing was trapping the cold air into my body. I didn't even know why I bothered wearing it at all.

I looked back to the house, noticing Aunt Francine was peeking through a window at us, trying in vain to be discreet. Kagome kept her head down, eyes intently focused on the scuff marks on her tennis shoes.

We made quite the pair, her and I. What kind of billionaires wanted to marry women who couldn't even afford decent footwear? Lunatics.

A car pulled in front of the ramshackle house and I eyed it warily. It was black and sleek, that much was obvious. Unfortunately, I didn't know a thing about vehicles other than it looked expensive.

Kagome sucked in a breath and I clasped her hand in mine, squeezing gently. "You ready to go, Gome?" She nodded her head and we both stepped from the porch, our suitcases trailing behind us.

A young demon got out from the driver's side of the car, rushing over to grab our bags from us.

"Good afternoon, ladies! I'm Shippo and I'll be your chauffeur until I'm given other instruction." The demon placed our bags in the trunk of the vehicle before opening the door for us, ushering us inside the warm vehicle. Sitting back in the leather, I almost fell asleep when a blast of hot air warmed my bones. It was heaven and I couldn't for the life of me remember the last time I'd ever felt so warm. Generally we couldn't afford to keep the heat going all winter and had to make do with plenty of blankets. Soaking up all the warm air was an addiction I wasn't sure I could shake.

"Where exactly are we going, Shippo?" Kagome asked, smiling brightly at the demon driving the vehicle.

"About an hour from here. The main manor, where we're going, is relatively secluded in the woods. It's about a twenty minute drive to the nearest town. The masters prefer it that way."

"Masters?" We both asked in unison.

"Ah, yes. The main manor belongs to Lord Inu Taisho. Scattered among the few thousand acres the family owns, Lord Sesshomaru holds his own residence as well as Lord Inuyasha, the youngest of the three dog demons."

"Do you know what they want with us?" I asked, although I doubted he had an answer.

Shippo shrugged slightly before answering. "Although it's never happened before, apparently Lord Inu Taisho has decided his sons need to establish more firm ties with the human world by marrying a few of its women. As I heard it, you two were a lucky find. Inu Taisho was uncertain how easy it would be to find wives for both of his sons since they both have peculiar...habits. Many women wouldn't agree into such a union unless they were only after the family wealth, but I've heard in your case there were different circumstances."

Kagome and I looked at one another. Different circumstances about summed it up perfectly.

"Thank you, Shippo."

I sat back and closed my eyes, hoping when I opened them again this would all be a bad dream.

* * *

"Rin, wake up. We're here." Kagome's excited voice whispered into my ear. I kept my eyes closed and pushed her away slightly, still feigning sleep.

"I'm having a nightmare Kagome, go away."

The door next to me opened quickly, allowing a rush of cold air to practically soak through my entire wardrobe. I groaned audibly before opening my eyes and glaring at Shippo who had the decency to looked chagrined before smiling down at us.

"Come, ladies. It isn't wise to keep the masters waiting."

I stepped reluctantly from the vehicle, allowing Kagome to exit behind me as I took in the surroundings. It was true what Shippo had said about secluded. The entire manor was practically closed off by large trees, almost making it impossible to see unless you stumbled upon it by chance. What I could see had me nearly toppled over in shock. If the manor was large in my mind it was even more enormous in person. It was easily 7,000 square feet and that was just the 'main' manor. How much money did this family have?!

"Oh wow," Kagome exclaimed, all of her early fears seemingly abated as she took in her surroundings.

"Well, I'm glad you're in a better mood about all of this." Kagome shrugged before following Shippo up the large stair case that led to the front door. Reluctantly I trailed behind, hoping a black hole would form and suck me into oblivion before I entered the manor.

I ran into no such luck, my feet stepping over the threshold and into the foyer. I nearly sighed in wonder at the spectacular view in front of me before I quickly shook my head and rushed to catch up to Kagome and Shippo as they wandered to the left and down a long corridor. We seemed to pass several doors before Shippo stopped to set our bags down before knocking politely at the door in front of him.

Dread pooled in my stomach as the young demon's ear twitched. Obviously he heard something because the next instant he was opening the door gently and standing aside, allowing Kagome and I to enter the room of doom.

Although my mind was screaming in denial, my feet moved confidently into the large room, my gaze immediately landing on the most breathtaking man I'd ever seen in my entire life.

Well, demon.

He had long silver hair that cascaded down his back, bangs that framed a forehead that held a crescent moon design of some sort and magenta stripes on either side of his face. He stood stiffly next to two men, looking as if he couldn't be bothered to attend the meeting about to take place.

_You and me both, _I thought. An instant later his eyes flashed to mine and I sucked in a breath, completely stunned at the beautiful golden eyes that glared at me. Realizing I was eyeing the demon like a piece of meat I dropped my gaze, my cheeks heating until I was sure an obnoxious blush had formed. I looked at the other two males, easily identifying Lord Inu Taisho. The other son had a cocky look on his face as his gaze practically devoured Kagome, who was doing her best to look anywhere but at the demon eyeing her so hungrily.

That had to be Inuyasha. My gaze skittered back to the stoic demon. Lord Sesshomaru looked devastatingly handsome in the tailored black suit he had on, but it was the look of contempt he sent my way that had my hackles rising.

"Welcome, Rin and Kagome Higurashi. It is such a pleasure to welcome you into our home and into our family." Lord Inu Taisho spoke loudly, smiling at both of us as he strode forward and greeted us with awkward hugs. Pulling away, Inu Taisho eyed both of us speculatively before speaking aloud again. "We'll need to find you both acceptable clothing and food. You're both far too thin." I opened my mouth in protest, but shut it before a word was ushered.

Did I really want to piss off the man responsible for the rest of my life? Nope.

"As you're both well aware, I've reached an agreement with your mother and aunt. This agreement was made for a few reasons on my part." I cast another look at Lord Sesshomaru who glared back at me as if his eyes alone could melt me. Maybe they could. "First, I've realized that although I've taken a human woman to mate a few centuries ago, it has done little presently to assure the public that we are fair and just demons, merely out to mix comfortably with human society. By accepting two young human women into our clan we are stating to the world that even after a few hundred years of ruling, we are still on good terms with the humans. Second, neither of my sons have ever been married and each of them are at least 200 years old. Thus, I've decided to play matchmaker and have selected you two to become their wives."

Two hundred years old? I thought I might faint from the shock.

Inu Taisho clapped both of his sons on the back, clearly enjoying the obvious discomfort of every individual in the room. "Now, as much as I would love to choose which of you lovely ladies will wed my sons, I've left the decision in the capable hands of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. After this meeting is adjourned they will talk amongst themselves and select which one they see fit."

"I've already selected." Lord Sesshomaru said in a monotone voice. He sounded more bored than I'd ever heard anyone before. Wasn't he concerned about his own future in the slightest?

"Yes, Sesshomaru?" Inu Taisho looked quickly to his son, almost as if he couldn't believe Sesshomaru would be the one to decide first.

"The human who smells of lavender will be sufficient." With that, Lord Sesshomaru turned and walked away, not a care in the world. A door I hadn't noticed before appeared and Lord Sesshomaru stepped through it, the door clicking softly behind him.

Kagome and I turned towards each other, both confused. Who the hell smelled like lavender?

"Feh, I guess that leave you to be my wife, Kagome." Inuyasha smiled wickedly at my cousin, his eyebrows raised suggestively. Kagome's cheeks flared red before Inuyasha took her hand, leading her from the room. Why were they just leaving me here? I glanced awkwardly at Lord Inu Taisho before I moved my weight from one foot to another.

Then it finally sank in.

Lord Sesshomaru had selected me? What was I going to do now?

I stood in the room awkwardly before Lord Inu Taisho spoke up. "Give him time, dear. He'll come around." I looked at the demon lord, a sad expression no doubt written all over my face before he nodded slowly and exited the room, leaving me with my spiraling emotions. Inuyasha seemed more than excited at the prospect of obtaining Kagome as a wife and Lord Sesshomaru had just turned and walked out like he wouldn't have to lay his eyes upon me for the rest of my life.

_He'll come around._ The words echoed in my mind.

I didn't want him to come around, did I? Of course not. His eyes flashed into my mind, startling me momentarily. Surely I wasn't interested in that ass, was I ?

I shook my head in denial, but I already knew the answer.

* * *

**Okay, that's it for the first chapter! I was wondering if I should write more, but I wanted to get started on a second chapter as soon as I can, so I didn't want to make this one too long.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**-Mo**


	2. Chapter 2

After a few minutes wandering the giant house by myself, I stumbled upon a weird toad-like servant who angrily directed me up two flights of stairs and down a long, seemingly never-ending, hallway and to a bedroom door. Then he left me alone and I found myself wondering if I was going to find my way back downstairs as I grabbed the door handle and gently pushed open the door, almost as if I expected a giant spider to lunge out and attack me.

I stepped into the large bedroom, sucking in a deep breath when I took in the general splendor of the room. It was almost as big as the entire apartment Kagome and I had been renting for the past two years. A giant four poster bed was straight in front of me, the mattress nearly coming up to my waist, which meant I was going to have to shimmy up into the bed while I could call it mine. One downfall of being short; everything was taller than me.

There was an antique mahogany desk to match the rest of the furniture, including a beautiful mahogany wardrobe. The detail in the woodwork was just astounding. It was obvious someone dedicated plenty of time and effort into making something so beautiful.

The walls were a lovely shade of light purple, almost like lavender.

I nearly blushed when I thought that.

I knew demons had more developed senses than humans, but he'd never even come near me, so how could he accurately know that I smelled like lavender? Then again, Inuyasha had snatched Kagome up so fast he had obviously known who Sesshomaru had been talking about. And they _were_ dog demons, so they probably had a pretty fantastic sense of smell. I sighed at the thought.

Not that I was loving this whole 'arranged marriage' nonsense, but Lord Sesshomaru was taking it to an entire new level. He had the potential to live forever (or several hundred more years), so why would he be so put off by something that would be a blip in his radar? Better yet, he'd chosen me like I was a hen at an auction, with little concern about me or anything. He knew I'd serve a purpose so he chose it like it was no big deal.

Well. It was a big deal to me.

I glanced at the suitcase of mine that was next to the wardrobe, waiting patiently to be unpacked. Sighing, I walked over to the object that did not belong in the room. Laying it flat on it's back, I unzipped it, taking out the few measly clothing items I owned and turning towards the wardrobe. Grabbing a handle and pulling it open, the clothes in my hand fell to the floor in disarray.

The wardrobe was practically stuffed with an assortment of business casual type clothing. Or clothing that belonged to a senator's wife. There were silk button up shirts, cashmere sweaters, extremely expensive high heels along the bottom, more designer skirts and pants than I'd ever seen in my entire life.

My first thought was that I'd been given the wrong room. I was _obviously _lost and unknowingly snooping through some poor lady's belongings. The next thing I realized was that all of the clothing looked brand new, there weren't even the faintest of scuff marks on any of the heels, and everything was in my size.

I was pretty sure this was my room. And those priceless things were my possessions. I could have fainted.

I shut the wardrobe with a sense of finality, determined I would wear my own clothing until it was expressed to me that the things in the wardrobe were actually mine to use. How foolish would I look if they didn't actually belong to me and I was off wearing someone else's clothes?

Looking around the room, I came across two doors that I had not searched through, so I made my way to the nearest, twisting the knob and pulling it open. To my horror, okay, delight, I opened up a door to my closet, which was also full of clothing. This time it had more of a variety, mostly a whole variety of gowns and shoes, silk underwear and matching bras, as well as purses, jackets, scarves and accessories.

I shut the door quickly and leaned back against it. Determined to stay strong. Did they think they could buy me with some silly wardrobe?

Although... If I was being honest, a part of myself wanted to throw my body into all of the clothes and roll around in them and all of their beauty. They were quite breathtaking and who was I kidding? I loved each and every thing I'd laid my eyes on. What a wardrobe!

If Kagome had a similar set up she was probably just as giddy as I was. Probably more so, considering she loved cute clothes even more than me. I pushed myself from the door and slowly made my way to the door on the opposite side of the room, dreading what awaited me beyond that door. I hope it wasn't more clothing. I didn't think I could handle it.

Pushing this door open, I was startled to find a giant bathroom, definitely the size of my old bedroom. It was complete with a shower, a claw-foot tub and a type of large cabinet situated next to the wide marble sink. The sink already held an expensive new electric toothbrush, various lotions, soaps, toothpaste, etc. There was a soft purple towelette hanging from the wall next to the light switch. I opened the cabinet door, feeling less startled than I would have been before the closet, to realize that was lurked inside was a variety of makeup that matched my complexion perfectly, as well as all of my favorite coloring of eyeshadow, just in a more expensive brand than I was accustomed. Also, there were shampoos, conditioners and body wash I'd always found myself staring at when I went to buy my off brand necessities, but could never afford.

It was both flattering and creepy that my needs had been met so well. How did they know what all I preferred? Then again, they were the most powerful family in the country, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd had someone follow Kagome and I both to make sure we weren't involved in the same amount of vices as my aunt. No one wanted to add a bad apple into the mix of the Taisho clan. It made sense.

Deciding that I needed a shower, I closed the door behind me, locking it before I started the shower and undressed, letting my old and tired clothing fall to the marbled floor, I grabbed a towel from the cabinet and set it on a hook by the shower before grabbing the shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

The hot water helped relax the sore muscles all over my skin, loosening up the shoulders I'd held rigid since I'd arrived at the manor. The soaps were luxurious and made me feel like a million dollars. Was this how people felt all the time when they showered with expensive things? If so, they must be extremely lucky.

Once I was finished in the shower, I wrapped the towel protectively around me and exited the room. I went over to where I'd dropped my clothes, but was startled when I realized all of my clothing was gone. Vanished, almost as if it had never been. What the hell had happened to my clothes? I searched the room over, thinking perhaps I'd misplaced them before coming to the conclusion that someone had come into my room and taken my clothes, leaving only my dirty shirt and jeans or the new wardrobe as suitable clothing options.

I cast a regretful glance at my old clothing strewn across the bedroom floor before I pulled open the door to the massive walk-in closet. I chose a deep magenta bra and panty set, sighing in ecstasy when the bra cupped my breasts lovingly. I'd never worn something so comfortable! Next, I selected a pair of skinny jeans that had been hiding in the back of the closet, a beautiful grey cashmere sweater and a pair of black flats. It was the most comfortable/least expensive clothing I could find to wear, but when I looked in the mirror I still looked like a million bucks. Everything fit perfectly and even the sweater accented the curves of my body.

I'd never paid attention to my looks before, but staring at myself in the mirror I felt like a desirable woman. And it felt good to think that.

* * *

I came down from the room an hour later, having blow dryed and straightened my hair before deciding I was ready to face the world. Or more specifically, the dog demons. Halfway down the first set of stairs I heard Kagome shriek and I was glad for the flats on my feet as I ran towards the sound of her indignant wailing.

"How dare you...You dog!" I winced at the insult, coming around a corner to watch as Kagome slapped her intended husband across the face, Inuyasha letting it happened before he laughed.

"Come on, Kagome! You know we're going to have sex eventually, right? Why not now?" Wow. I guess they weren't joking about his reputation.

Kagome was poised to strike him again when I grabbed her hand, stilling her actions.

"He's just trying to get your riled up." Inuyasha smirked at both of us, eyeing my clothing speculatively.

"I see my brother didn't waste any time getting you a wardrobe." I blushed slightly when Kagome looked me up and down.

"I didn't think the new clothes were his doing." He'd purchased all those things for me? How did he already know he would pick me when we'd never even met?

"Heh. I'm sure he had a servant get all the things you'd need. I should have thought about that for you, Kagome." Inuyasha cast a beseeching look in her direction. "Forgive me for not considering you like I should have." He picked up her hand and kissed it before turning and practically disappearing in front of our eyes.

"Well that was weird."

Kagome looked at my clothes, regretfully changing the subject. "You look great, Rin."

I blushed again. I wasn't used to people throwing compliments in my direction. "Thanks, Kagome. Did you want to borrow some of the clothes in my room until Inuyasha gets you something of your own?" A selfish part of me dreaded sharing my closet of wonders, but I knew better than that. Kagome and I shared everything and I'd never minded before.

Kagome shook her head. "I'm sure Inuyasha will get me something soon. After all, he's the one who wants to have sex with me right this second. At least you know that Lord Sesshomaru must care for you."

"He barely even noticed me, Kagome. I'm sure he just had someone go fetch some things for me and thought nothing of it after that." I sighed wistfully. "At least your future husband is hanging around you. Sesshomaru bailed as soon as he could. The next time I see him will probably be at the wedding," I joked, trying to cheer Kagome up.

"Yeah." Eyes widening, Kagome grabbed my hand and dragged me down the last set of stairs before heading to the right and leading me away from the main part of the house.

"Kagome, slow down!" I cried as her longer legs pulled me in places I'd never seen yet. "Are you sure we can just be going through the manor like this? It feels wrong."

"It's fine, Rin! I just want to show you something."

The next large room we entered was obviously a type of ballroom. The floors lacked any carpet and the only piece of furniture in the room was a beautiful piano forte and a bench.

I gasped sharply, practically pushing past Kagome in my haste to sit down and stroke the keys. "Oh Kagome, it's beautiful!"

Kagome smiled sadly. "I was hoping you could play me something happy to cheer me up." I looked at my older cousin, a look of indecision playing across my face.

"Okay, but you have to give this song a chance first. I think it plays into our circumstances pretty well. Plus, you've heard it a thousand times already." Kagome nodded in my direction, moving to sit next to me on the bench.

I placed my hands lovingly on the keys before I began playing, allowing myself to get a feel for the instrument I was about to play. I made sure it was tuned properly before I started playing.

The music came out as a haunting melody and I began to sing softly to Kagome.

"**Dear future husband,**

**Here's a few things**

**You'll need to know if you wanna be**

**My one and only all my life.**"

I let the last note on the piano die as the last word of the verse trailed from my lips. A second later I picked up the tempo and began the upbeat song, swaying gently with the tune as I sang.

**Take me on a date**  
**I deserve a break**  
**And don't forget the flowers every anniversary**  
**'Cause if you'll treat me right**  
**I'll be the perfect wife**  
**Buying groceries**  
**Buy-buying what you need**

**You got that 9 to 5**  
**But, baby, so do I**  
**So don't be thinking I'll be home and baking apple pies**  
**I never learned to cook**  
**But I can find a hook**  
**Sing along with me**  
**Sing-sing along with me (hey)**

**You gotta know how to treat me like a lady**  
**Even when I'm acting crazy**  
**Tell me everything's alright**

**Dear future husband,**  
**Here's a few things you'll need to know if you want to be**  
**My one and only all my life**  
**Dear future husband,**  
**If you wanna get that special lovin'**  
**Tell me I'm beautiful each and every night**

**After every fight**  
**Just apologize**  
**And maybe then I'll let you try and rock my body right**  
**Even if I was wrong**  
**You know I'm never wrong**  
**Why disagree?**  
**Why, why disagree?**

**You gotta know how to treat me like a lady**  
**Even when I'm acting crazy**  
**Tell me everything's alright**

**Dear future husband,**  
**Here's a few things**  
**You'll need to know if you want to be**  
**My one and only all my life (hey, baby)**  
**Dear future husband,**  
**Make time for me**  
**Don't leave me lonely**  
**And know we'll never see your family more than mine**

**I'll be sleeping on the left side of the bed (hey)**  
**Open doors for me and you might get some kisses**  
**Don't have a dirty mind**  
**Just be a classy guy**  
**Buy me a ring**  
**Buy-buy me a ring, babe**

**You gotta know how to treat me like a lady**  
**Even when I'm acting crazy**  
**Tell me everything's alright**

**Dear future husband,**  
**Here's a few things**  
**You'll need to know if you want to be**  
**My one and only all my life**  
**Dear future husband,**  
**If you wanna get that special loving**  
**Tell me I'm beautiful each and every night**

**Future husband, better love me right**

The final note finally died before I cast a wary glance in Kagome's direction, hoping she wouldn't be even more upset about the song choice. I expected tears and possibly anger, but what I didn't expect was to see Lord Sesshomaru lurking in the doorway to the ballroom, staring intently at me as if he could see straight through me. I stood up quickly, nearly tripping over the bench as I quickly moved away from the piano as if it had burned me. Oh God. How long had he heard me singing about future husbands and what they were expected to do for their wives? Judging my the slight look of exasperation on his face, I would wager he'd been present for the entire song. Oh God.

Why couldn't the floor swallow me whole and leave Kagome with this disaster?

"I.. I'm sorry, should we be in here?" I didn't let him answer, rambling on. "We shouldn't be here. Right. Okay, Um. Well, hi. It's nice to meet you. I mean, kind of." Kagome's eyes bulged at the insult. Sesshomaru remained still, watching me squirm. He probably enjoyed the flurry of emotions racing through me. My face heated under his scrutiny. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I mean, not like that. What I meant was," I blew out a breath to steady my heartbeat, "that I'm sorry we were in a room we shouldn't have wandered into and that I'm Rin and it's nice to meet you." I walked forward and put out my hand, hoping he would shake it.

Ever so slowly, the beautiful creation before me reached out and grasped his warm hand in mine, not quite holding hands, but close. I felt a shock go through my body, nearly numbing my hand before he jerked his own hand back, letting it rest down at his side.

How weird...

"Thank you for the clothing, Sesshomaru." His eyebrow quirked at the comment. Or maybe it was the lack of title when I addressed him. "I'm sorry, would you prefer if I called you Lord Sesshomaru?"

"What I prefer is none of your concern." His dry voice scalded me like a brand, making me feel like an idiot.

"Excuse me, _Lord_ Sesshomaru, but I beg to differ. If I'm going to be with you for the rest of my life, then I would prefer know your likes and dislikes as well as your interests. Being forced into an arranged marriage isn't exactly a picnic for me either, but I would hope we could make it as painless as possible for one another."

"Hn." Lord Sesshomaru turned on his heel to leave, pausing only to say, "Lord Sesshomaru is preferable. You might eventually become my wife, however, that does not mean you will fail to show me the proper respect." I almost rolled my eyes, but I had a feeling he would be able to sense it. "You play quite beautifully, even if your selection of music was less than tasteful." With that, Lord Sesshomaru walked slowly from the room, not even sparing a glance in my direction as he did so. I wanted to call him any and every name in the book for being so pigheaded, but then I bit my tongue. Had he just complimented me? Sure, it was veiled with an insult, but he had in fact complimented the performance. Maybe he wouldn't hate being married to a human as much as I would have expected.

"Well," Kagome said as she came to stand next to me. "I don't feel so bad about being paired with Inuyasha now. I'm sorry Rin, he seems awful."

My thoughts weren't focused on the harsh words he'd given me, rather, they were on the peace and joy I'd felt when his hand enveloped mine.

What was wrong with me?


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for the reviews so far! Anyways, I've decided that this fanfic is going to focus a bit on Rin and her piano skills. Gives it a nice little twist so our main girl isn't just twiddling her thumbs in the scenes that don't involved Lord Sesshomaru. I hope you enjoy it and please don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

Later that evening Kagome and I both realized we lived across the hall from one another, much to our surprise and happiness. When we arrived back to our rooms after a delicious yet lonely dinner, Kagome opened her room and squealed in delight at the bags full of clothing that had been left for her. I smiled, happy that she was having a better night than she'd had earlier in the day.

"Do you want help putting away your bundle of goods?" I walked into the room after her, noting that her room had more of a dull red shade to it in comparison to my purple room. Funny, it kind of reminded me of each of the brothers. Sesshomaru had purple markings along his face, and who knew where else, and Inuyasha had been wearing a red shirt the same shade as Kagome's bedroom.

I was sure it meant nothing, but still. It was quite a coincidence.

"Oh yes, Rin. Come on in. Isn't this room beautiful?" Kagome ran to her bed and jumped onto it, having the same height issue I'd come across with the mattress. She sighed blissfully and leaned back into the pillows, silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Is it weird that I feel better than I have in a while? I mean, I know this whole marriage thing is awful, but it feels nice to be taken care of." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"So, why were you slapping Inuyasha in the face when I found you earlier?" Kagome blushed before sitting up, keeping her gaze focused on the bags in front of her as opposed to me.

"He and I were... getting acquainted, I guess you could say and he tried to have sex with me and I told him no. So he implied that there wasn't much point in having a frigid wife who wouldn't sleep with him whenever he felt like it. So I smacked him in the face."

"So if you weren't having sex with him, how exactly were you 'getting acquainted'?"

"I may or may not have been making out with him and a few other things in his bedroom. On his bed." I grinned widely, coming over to the bed and shoving her off of it.

"You're such a tease, Kagome! No wonder the poor guy thought you were going to have sex with him. I'd have been thinking the same thing!"

Kagome sat up, pushing herself from the floor and walking over to the bags, sighing in delight when she pulled out the beautiful fabrics.

"Well, I didn't think about it like that at the time, but now I feel awful. Oh God," she whispered. "I am a tease! Oh Rin, what am I going to do now?"

"You could always have sex with him." Kagome gasped.

"Oh come on, Kagome. It's not like you're a virgin. I remember Hojo sneaking out of our apartment at all hours of the night when you two dated. Besides, would sex with your future husband have been so terrible? After all, you were obviously attracted to him if you two were fooling around like a bunch of teenagers, you know?"

Kagome seemed to consider what I was saying before she shook her head, pulling yet another item from one of the bags. "I see what you mean, but I don't want to start that type of relationship with him. We're going to be married and that's fine with me, but I want him to get to know me mentally before he gets to know me physically. It's the principal of the thing. Besides, it's not like your virginity will be in danger anytime soon, so you don't even have to worry about any of this kind of stuff."

"You do realize that I'll have to have sex with Sesshomaru at some point in order to consummate this marriage, don't you? I have even more right to be worried than you do, because unlike Inuyasha, I don't think Sesshomaru has ever wanted to sleep with a human, which leaves me more nervous than ever. How am I expected to compete with all of those demon women if he doesn't even give me a chance to best them? I think his mind is already made up, and I don't think he likes me very much."

Kagome set the items she was holding on the bed before reaching over and pulling me into a hug. "Don't say that, Rin. He knew you were the one playing the piano and he still came in to watch you perform. If he'd been displeased he either would have stopped us or just left and not let you see him. I think he sought you out to spend time with you, even if he doesn't ever admit it. He snapped you up, after all. There's got to be something about you he likes."

"Yeah, I don't smell like a drowned rat." I sniffed, leaning into the hug. The momentary comfort was what I needed to steel my resolve to become better acquainted with the demon who was going to be my husband. I just needed to figure out a way to do that.

* * *

My bed was too soft.

Or the silk nightgown was too comfortable.

Either way, I was having difficulty falling asleep. It had to be late into the night and I'd been tossing and turning for hours. I shouldn't have been surprised, this day had been the most awkward day of my life by far. Did I expect to sleep like a rock in an unfamiliar house?

Groaning in irritation, I sat up and my hands began to fidget with my nightgown. It was silky and magenta, the straps doing little to cover my shoulders and the length a few inches above my knees. There was white lace that embroidered the bust and end, making it almost a sexy outfit. I slipped on the matching robe, which came to the same stop above my knees as the gown, and tied the robe around my waist.

I left the bedroom, knowing I wouldn't get any more sleep until I played something on the piano. Oftentimes when I was nervous or just needed a distraction, the piano was my ally when I found myself in a tough spot. I didn't expect to disturb anybody, as the piano was a few floors down from Kagome's room. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru lived in different houses spaced around the property and Lord Inu Taisho had left on business earlier in the day and wouldn't be returning for a few days. Kagome and I were told to treat the home as if it were our own and do whichever pleased us in his absence. The staff had gone home for the night, promising to return bright and early the next day, so Kagome and I were by ourselves.

I walked quietly down the stairs, my toes cold on the marble stairs. A few more steps and I was finally down on the main floor, working my way back to the beautiful piano I'd barely made friends with earlier.

When I entered the ballroom it was as if my heart stopped and started all at the same time. My affection for music, pianos mostly, was unlike any passion I'd ever experienced before. I even had a nice voice, although both weren't enough to get me a full scholarship into the most prestigious Arts college in Japan, mostly due to my aunt and her situation. The school looked in on parents as well as the students applying and they didn't approve of my aunt, there denying me a full scholarship, even though I had been accepted into the school on a partial scholarship. Unfortunately for me, it was still too expensive and I'd been forced into a smaller, less substantial college, where although I could still focus on my music, it had taken a back burner when it came to my major, which was Finance.

Untying the robe, I slid it off and placed it on the bench. I sat down on the bench, ignoring the cool wood against the back of my thighs before I lifted the covering on the keys and began to play.

I chose a Bette Midler song, enjoying the easy flow of the keys under my fingers.

**Some say love, it is a river**  
**That drowns the tender reed.**  
**Some say love, it is a razor**  
**That leaves your soul to bleed.**  
**Some say love, it is a hunger,**  
**An endless aching need.**  
**I say love, it is a flower,**  
**And you its only seed.**

**It's the heart afraid of breaking**  
**That never learns to dance.**  
**It's the dream afraid of waking**  
**That never takes the chance.**  
**It's the one who won't be taken,**  
**Who cannot seem to give,**  
**And the soul afraid of dyin'**  
**That never learns to live.**

**When the night has been too lonely**  
**And the road has been too long,**  
**And you think that love is only**  
**For the lucky and the strong,**  
**Just remember in the winter**  
**Far beneath the bitter snows**  
**Lies the seed that with the sun's love**  
**In the spring becomes the rose.**

I sighed happily to myself, although in my opinion the song I'd just sang was a bit sad. I'd never get the chance to experience a growing love, as delicate as a flower. I was tied to a man that would rather cut me loose than spend any time with me. Which led me to my next song.

**Well you only need the light when it's burning low**  
**Only miss the sun when it starts to snow**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**  
**Only hate the road when you're missin' home**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**  
**And you let her go**

**Staring at the bottom of your glass**  
**Hoping one day you'll make a dream last**  
**But dreams come slow and they go so fast**

**You see her when you close your eyes**  
**Maybe one day you'll understand why**  
**Everything you touch surely dies**

**But you only need the light when it's burning low**  
**Only miss the sun when it starts to snow**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**  
**Only hate the road when you're missin' home**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**Staring at the ceiling in the dark**  
**Same old empty feeling in your heart**  
**'Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast**

**Well you see her when you fall asleep**  
**But never to touch and never to keep**  
**'Cause you loved her too much**  
**And you dived too deep**

**Well you only need the light when it's burning low**  
**Only miss the sun when it starts to snow**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**  
**Only hate the road when you're missin' home**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**And you let her go **  
**And you let her go**  
**Will you let her go?**

**'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low**  
**Only miss the sun when it starts to snow**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**  
**Only hate the road when you're missin' home**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low**  
**Only miss the sun when it starts to snow**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**  
**Only hate the road when you're missin' home**  
**Only know you love her when you let her go**

**And you let her go**

I stopped playing, my heart now heavy, which was the exact opposite of what I'd come down there to do. Generally playing the piano made me heart soar, yet I felt so alone, so unwanted. Only here to fill a purpose to make Sesshomaru look better to humankind.

"Do humans not require much sleep?" The voice came from almost directly behind me, startling me into flailing backwards, the silk of my gown causing me to slip and fall backwards. I'm sure I would have fallen, but strong arms wrapped around my middle pulling me up and to my feet. I inhaled quickly when my back was pressed fully against Sesshomaru, another jolt going through my body when we made skin on skin contact.

He released me immediately and I turned as quickly as I could to face him, expecting to see him in some sort of pajamas. Instead, he wore the immaculate suit he'd had on since I'd met him that morning.

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm starting to think demons don't need any sleep either. What are you doing here?"

His own eyebrow rose, obviously not enjoying the question I'd asked him.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

"I heard you playing. I didn't realize the sound of a piano could be soothing to one such as I, yet I have a difficult time ignoring it."

"You could hear it all the way to your house? I'm sorry, I had no idea!" I nearly bowed, seeking forgiveness but stopped myself. Why the hell would I bow? I shook my head, clearing away any momentary confusion I might have had. I looked down to avoid his gaze and immediately turned a deep shade of red.

I was in a nightgown that left almost nothing to the imagination. Turning quickly, I bent at the waist to pick up the robe that had fallen, unaware that my nightgown had slid up, exposing the underside of my ass until a clawed hand grabbed me around the middle, dragging me back against the hard body of Lord Sesshomaru.

"What are you doing?" I stammered out as he pulled my long black hair to one side, exposing my neck. With one arm still gripping my hair and the other around my waist, Sesshomaru bent his head down to my neck, inhaling deeply when his nose met my skin. I shivered from the contact, yet my body tensed. I'd never been in a compromising situation like that with a member of the opposite sex, let alone a demon who up until a few seconds ago I could have sworn didn't desire me in the slightest. Little did I know.

Sesshomaru ground his hips against my backside, his erection evident as he did so. A noise like a growl made it's way from his throat and a few seconds later his tongue darted out to lick along the column of my neck.

"What are you doing," I repeated, my hands reaching down to clasp the forearm around my middle, holding on to Sesshomaru for support. I barely knew him and yet I felt so drawn to him, so incredibly enticed by what he was doing, I could barely control myself.

Sesshomaru's entire body tightened at my words, almost as if he hadn't been expecting himself to have that type of reaction either. Dropping his hands to his side, he stepped back from me, allowing me to turn around. My entire body trembled in anticipation, but Sesshomaru looked as bored as ever, only a slight reddening in his eyes making me think something had actually just happened between us.

I opened my mouth to ask what the hell had just happened, but nothing came out. I was speechless for the first time in my life and my body felt like it was on fire. If I was that bothered just from him licking my neck, I didn't want to know how it felt if he licked other parts of me.

Okay, I definitely did want to know.

Lord Sesshomaru glared at me, anger outlining every inch of his body as he stared me down, waiting for me to squirm. Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and glared right back at him. We stood there in silence for a few minutes, neither of us wanting to admit defeat.

Finally I snapped, "Don't glare at me like that. I didn't drag you over here and lick your neck."

Sesshomaru stepped closer, anger evident on his features. "You dare speak to one such as me in such a tone?"

"You dare to seduce me and then act like it's my fault?" Two could play the blame game.

Sesshomaru scoffed, the look he sent in my direction making me feel like I was an insect under a telescope. "It would take more than a pathetic human to entice me." Disdain dripped from his every word, and I felt his disdain like a slap across the face.

Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to burst over at the next harsh word. "I don't know what just happened here, and right now I don't care, but don't you ever insult me like that again and for the love of God, stop trying to pretend that I'm nothing to you. Good night, Lord Sesshomaru." I turned on my heel and walked quickly from the ballroom, not sparing a glance behind me. I'd left my robe on the floor, but there was no way in hell I was going back in there.

* * *

I returned to my room before I collapsed onto the bed, crying into my pillow, hoping it would drown out my sobs.

Why was I here? Why was I getting myself into such a mess with Lord Sesshomaru when it was obvious he wanted nothing to do with me. Well, it was less obvious after the incident downstairs, but he made it clear that he hated that he was drawn to me in any way, no matter if it was by my music or physically.

I needed to think of Kagome. I couldn't just leave her here with these demons, could I? Besides, Aunt Francine had told us we both had to be in the arrangement otherwise everything would be null and void. I had to think of the happiness of others, not just myself. It was apparent that Kagome already had feelings for Inuyasha and his haste to provide for her made me think he might have a soft spot for my cousin. Who knew what could develop between the two? Did I really want to stand in the way of any of her potential happiness? No, I didn't.

But I didn't want to spend the rest of my life feeling miserable. I just wished I knew what to do.

That was the last thought in my head before I drifted to sleep.

Little did I know, Lord Sesshomaru was on the other side, robe wound tightly in his hand as he listened to me cry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for the reviews! I was pretty excited that I'd received 15 reviews in two days! Normally my RinxSessh stories don't get as much attention as I feel they deserve, but I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story as much as i am writing it! Please feel free to favorite the story and leave me a review, I love hearing from each and every one of you!**

**Thanks again to;  
Sr. Spanky Mcfluffy-ten, Janestone, Ama Zon, L.M.T.O.P., marikyuu, fabi16lachikita, Kibachow (thanks for reviewing every chapter so far!), Carmen, jj, sesshyrin4life, TheNewGeneration, and the other guests that have been kind enough to leave me reviews. I hope I didn't leave anyone out, and if I did I'll try to add you on the next chapter !**

* * *

A few days passed since my run in with Lord Sesshomaru and I was dreading the next time I would be forced into an encounter with him. I hadn't divulged to Kagome what happened my first night when I'd been alone with Lord Sesshomaru, mostly because I wasn't sure how to mention it and also because I was melancholy about the entire ordeal. A few days time hadn't made me feel any better about being married to the demon, in fact, I was feeling decidedly worse about the whole thing. He'd insulted me after groping me and then decided not to show his face for days afterward? He either didn't care or he was a coward, and both were deal breakers to me. I'd have been out the door except for the woman currently walking down the sidewalk with me.

It was a Wednesday afternoon, the sun was hiding behind the clouds and Kagome had asked me to go shopping with her. Apparently there was an event that Inuyasha had invited her to and she needed a gown and shoes. He'd given her one of his credit cards and told her to go pick whichever outfit she preferred and to buy whatever else she might want while she was out.

Needless to say, Kagome was thrilled and would have swooned on the spot had my eye rolling not mentally held her up. I was beginning to think Kagome was falling into this entire arrangement far too willingly, but then another part of me knew that fighting it was useless, so why was I so angry that she let Inuyasha pamper her? I should have been happy for her, and I was, for the most part. However, a more selfish part of me was jealous of how close Inuyasha and Kagome had become in such a short time. They'd spent a lot of hours together over the last few days, leaving me mostly alone to my thoughts and pining over a demonic asshole who was obviously avoiding me.

Or I was avoiding him. I couldn't be sure anymore.

"So are we actually going to go dress shopping at any point in time or are you just going to spend all of Inuyasha's fortune on shoes?" I joked with her, struggling with the four giant bags wrapped around my hands. I was happy the bags weren't that heavy, although they were awkward to carry around.

We'd been walking around so many expensive shops the last few hours I was glad I'd worn a pair of flats with a snug pair of black jeans and a cardigan hidden under the black peacoat jacket I had on to keep out the frigid cold. Kagome was dressed in a sundress and a leather jacket paired with heels that were doing her no favors as we trekked along the cobblestone sidewalks. Hell, I thought the only thing that was holding her up was the credit card tucked safely away in her purse. She was obviously enjoying the money being thrown her way, but to me that would have felt like a cop out. Almost as if Inuyasha were trying to buy her affections, but what did I know?

"Oh, look there's a shop right there!" Kagome grabbed my elbow with her free hand and ushered us both inside, smiling happily to the salesclerk that was sorting a few outfits.

Not bothering with formalities, Kagome reached over and grabbed a deep red strapless dress. It was floor length and the bodice was covered in an assortment of silver and red crystals, the skirt giving the dress an airy and relaxed look.

Without another word, Kagome dropped her shopping bags at my feet and made her way to a dressing room, throwing back the curtain to hide herself as she changed. I cast an awkward glance to the clerk who looked at me in startled silence.

I didn't think she was used to people handling their own clothing.

A few minutes later Kagome came out from the dressing room, twirling to show off the long skirt as it billowed out happily before her.

"Oh, Kagome! You look wonderful!" I exclaimed, nearly dropping the bags in my possession in shock. My cousin looked like a goddess in charge of fire and passion. I never realized red suited her until just that moment.

"Do you think Inuyasha will like it?" She asked shyly.

"I don't think he'll be able to keep his eyes off of you. You're truly breathtaking." Kagome squealed happily before disappearing back into the dressing room, the clerk clearly nonexistent in her eyes. I turned to the woman, smiling apologetically. "Do you have a clutch and matching shoes to go with that? I really don't want to go to another store."

The woman smiled and led me to another section of the boutique.

* * *

We dropped all of Kagome's many possessions back with the chauffeur who'd been waiting on us all afternoon before telling him we'd be staying in town a few hours more if he wanted to find something else to do until later. With a wave, Shippo had driven happily off, no doubt going to find any activity that didn't involve sitting on his ass.

Kagome had called Inuyasha a bit earlier, asking if he minded if we grabbed dinner and went to a club in the city for the evening and he'd insisted we stop at a certain restaurant and enjoyed whatever food we wanted, the expense was on him. So Kagome and I grabbed dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in town, although I felt extremely uncomfortable doing so, even if my future brother in law had insisted.

I squirmed in my chair, for some reason feeling like a bug under a microscope, unsure of where the sensation was originating. After we'd ordered our food, I looked at my phone and realized that it was nearly 10 o'clock at night; we'd been shopping for nearly eleven hours!

"Do you realize that we've been shop-" I looked up from my plate of food and spotted Lord Sesshomaru sitting at a table across the room. There was a woman seated right next to him, her chair scooted as close to him as she could get, her hand placed on his shoulder as she whispered something into his ear. I could tell she was some sort of demon and from her body language she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. Sesshomaru himself looked as stiff as ever, but then again, wasn't that how he always looked?

"What are you looking at?" Kagome swiveled in her seat, spine stiffening when she locked on the same couple I'd seen myself. My cheeks turned red from embarrassment or shame, maybe a bit of both when Kagome turned back to me, eyes full of sadness. "Oh, Rin."

I felt a sudden prickling of tears and cleared my throat even as I looked away from her face, staring intently at my side of the table. I grabbed my untouched glass of wine, tipping it back and letting the contents flow freely down my throat, not pausing until my glass was empty.

I knew he didn't really like me, but seeing him with another woman was almost like a physical blow. My chest ached fiercely, my eyes were watery and I don't think my heart was pumping right. Maybe it had stopped beating the moment I'd spotted them and couldn't find it's rhythm again. Figures the man would give me heart palpitations.

A waiter came over and refilled my drink, much to my delight. I needed something to occupy my mind other than the woman with her grubby hands all over Sesshomaru.

I downed my beverage and looked back at the couple, eyes narrowing in anger when Sesshomaru's gaze caught mine and held it. The woman turned her head and caught my eye, smiling wickedly before turning back to nuzzle her head on Sesshomaru's arm. I felt a flicker die in my eyes, watching the scene before me.

I scoffed when he practically pushed the woman off of him, shoving her back into her own seat before speaking rather harshly. Not that I cared what was said, but she looked positively frightened. Perhaps he was angry she'd drawn more attention to them and their little tryst. I couldn't have cared less.

Not even a little.

"Kagome, I think I'd like to find that club now." I stood abruptly, grabbing her glass of wine and finishing it for her. When she looked at me I merely stated, "I think I need this more than you do."

"Rin." Lord Sesshomaru's voice sounded from right behind me, followed by an angry gasp in Kagome's direction. I didn't turn around to see either of them, instead I made my way to the front of the restaurant, collecting my things from the attendant before slipping on my coat, my purse tucked under my shoulder.

I stepped outside, the chill of the air being combatted by the buzz I was now sporting. I moved past the valet and onto the sidewalk, doing my best not to sway as I stalked angrily from the restaurant.

"Stop." He called, his voice full of demand. A few steps more and I turned abruptly, hair flying around my shoulders like an angry halo.

"What?" I snapped at him, trying no to soak in his appearance in another immaculate suit or the fact that he was over a foot taller than me. "What could you possibly have to say to me after I just caught you and your little bimbo out on the town?"

"This Sesshomaru has no need to discuss such things with you." I rolled my eyes, ignoring the sting that was threatening to overflow. From the slight stiffening of his shoulders it was more than obvious he'd detected my tears. Great, now we could both share in my misery.

"Then why are you standing here? God, I don't even know why I bothered thinking you could possibly be worth anything to me." Before I could turn, Lord Sesshomaru spoke.

"Kagura was a client, nothing more." His tone held nothing but the same dry monotone, but I paused in my retreat. Why did he even tell me that if he'd already said he didn't want to discuss it with me?

"She looked like more than a client to me." I folded my arms in front of my chest, assuming a no nonsense stance.

"She's been offering to share my bed for quite some time, but I have always declined." He didn't seem to be bragging, but it irritated me nonetheless.

"From what I could see, it looks like she's already been there."

"She has not."

"Right."

I turned to resume my walking, only to stop when a flash of white caught my eye and then Sesshomaru was standing right in front of me, blocking my path.

"You do not believe this Sesshomaru." I rolled my eyes. Why was he referring to himself like that?

"You're damn right I don't. Are you honestly telling me that if you saw me out late in the evening with a handsome stranger hanging all over me you would be completely fie with it? Especially if it appeared we were sleeping together?" His eyes flashed a deep red, causing my breath to catch. I blinked and it was gone.

How much had I had to drink?

"That is irrelevant." His tone held just the slightest tint of something else. Something emotional. Could it have been anger? Probably not. I shook my head to clear the thought away and maybe to help stop the slow flow of intoxication from spreading to the rest of my body. Chugging three glasses of wine in less than a minute probably wasn't the wisest decision.

"In what way is that irrelevant?"

"Kagura is no longer a client of Taisho Inc or any of our companies after her actions this evening."

"What?" I was confused. Surely he didn't mean what I thought he did.

"Her brother and her have been causing irritations for my family and I for awhile, but her actions tonight were the deciding factor. I informed her our meeting was strictly business but she failed to accept that for the last time. She has been dealt with."

"Do you have anything you'd like to say to me?" I asked wistfully, well aware the demon in front of me wouldn't apologize for anything, no matter how bad he'd messed up.

"You wish me to beg your forgiveness?" He practically spit out, his normally expressionless face contorted in a rare moment of anger.

"I want you to acknowledge that you've hurt me! I've been waited for you to get over our run in the first night, yet you've spent your days completely ignoring me. Then I see you with a woman practically wrapped around your body like a damn anaconda, so yes. I think you should apologize. I would never do something like that to you and I wouldn't ever hurt you like that."

Sesshomaru stepped slowly until we were standing right in front of each other. He bent until our faces were only a few inches away, obviously a ploy to intimidate me. I stepped on my toes, bringing my face inevitably closer to his own.

"You dare raise your voice to one such as I?" The words whispered over me, almost like a caress although it carried a lethal amount of steel. I looked into his eyes, trying not to lose myself in the endless golden pools.

"You bet." Before I could think clearly, I leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, startled beyond belief when he didn't shove me away in disgust.

Instead Lord Sesshomaru stepped closer until our bodies were pressed together, his arms wrapping around my waist to tug me to him. Meanwhile, a shiver of delight spread down my spine as my lips tingled in ecstasy from being pressed against his.

Abruptly he pulled away, withdrawing his body from mine as if he'd been burned, causing a whole new type of hurt to spread through me.

"Are you going to pretend that never happened too?" He stared at me, his face unreadable even though his silence wasn't.

"Rin, there you are!" Kagome shouted, rushing up to stand beside me. She paused a second to glare at Sesshomaru before she turned back to me. "Come on, let's get out of here."

I turned and followed her, leaving Lord Sesshomaru standing alone, more than aware that he never answered my last question.

* * *

"Forget that jerk anyway," Kagome shouted over the music, handing me yet another shot of something not so delicious. It burned my throat going down, but not nearly as bad as the previous shots.

"I can't forget him, I'm going to marry him. Do you think he'll let me kiss him then?" I wondered aloud, moving my fingers to cover my mouth, but it felt oddly numb. That was weird.

"It looked like he was letting you kiss him plenty back at the restaurant."

"You saw that?" I squeaked out. Or maybe I yelled it at her. Who could tell over the music blaring in the background?

"I think half of the street saw it. You didn't notice all the people that stopped to take a photo of you two together?" I rolled my eyes at her obvious joke, not in the mood for her and her stories.

Kagome jerked upright from the bar before giggling to herself. I stared at her the entire time, which proved to be fascinating because one moment she had a drink in her hand and the next she was talking into a cellphone, giggling like a schoolgirl to whoever was on the other line. Probably the love of her life.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea. Yeah, no, she's super drunk. Me? Um. Not as drunk as she is." Kagome laughed loudly. "Okay, yes. That's the club we're at. Okay, I'll see you soon." An instant later the phone was mysteriously gone as if it had never been. "Inuyasha is coming to kiss us," I widened my eyes, "I mean get us! Get us!"

I smacked Kagome on the back, taking another shot that appeared in front of me. "Well I think I know what someone is going to be doing after this. No wonder Inuyasha is in such a rush to come and get you."

Kagome stared at me before pulling out her phone and showing me the time. "Rin, we've been out drinking for four hours. It's time to go home and face the demons in our lives." I rolled my eyes, sinking wearily into the empty chair behind me.

"I think I'm a little tired," I said flippantly, waving a hand in the air for emphasis.

"Hey! Watch where you're flinging that thing." Inuyasha piped up from next to Kagome, a set of car keys in his hand.

"Wow, you got here really fast!"

He cast a look at Kagome before turning back to me. "How much have you had to drink, Rin?"

"I don't know, just whatever Gome gave me." I smiled sleepily at her, even when she cast a chagrinned look at Inuyasha.

"What?" She said innocently. "I blame your brother for how drunk she is."

"Yeah." I agreed although I couldn't remember what she had said.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes before opening his mouth to speak. "Well that's a shame because Sesshomaru followed me here. He's in the car with the chauffeur to take Rin back to the manor."

Kagome's eyes widened when she looked behind me. "No he's not."

I groaned aloud, not caring if Lord Sesshomaru heard me. "Well this is just great. I thought I was drinking to forget my problems, not to have them escort me home like I'm a child."

"If you insist on acting like a child you will be treated as such." The steel voice from behind me declared.

Kagome's mouth dropped open in shock but I just laughed. I tilted my head back to stare at the tall demon behind me and for a moment the world slid out from under me, or maybe it was the bar stool I'd been sitting on.

Strong arms caught me in a tight grip, Sesshomaru's hands under my knees and over my back, holding me tightly to him.

"You practically reek of alcohol," he said clearly above the background noise of the club.

I smiled and placed my hand on his cheek, causing his eyes to drop to mine as he walked purposefully away from the bar. "I missed you too, darling."

"Hn." We exited the club, Sesshomaru's stride never wavering as we made our way to the vehicle, Shippo holding our door open for us. Lord Sesshomaru bent at the waist, bending us both into the car until he was situated in his seat, still holding me in his lap. Not one to waste a good cuddle, I leaned in to him, letting my head rest in the crook of his neck, feeling more sober than I had in hours. "Nonsense like this will no longer be tolerated."

"Well if you keep treating me like your dirty little secret I'll keep acting like it." I nuzzled his neck with my cold nose, letting my lips rest along the collar of his suit, breathing him in.

"What are you doing?" His arms tightened around me slightly.

"Smelling you." I inhaled again. "Isn't that what dog demons do? You smell nice. Like the forest or something."

"Hn."

"You know," I piped up after a few minutes of silence. "Kagome and Inuyasha actually like each other." More silence. "They're even planning on going on a date."

"I would not call that farce of a ball an adequate date, if it were to be called a date at all."

"No need to get testy, darling, I'm just pointing out that they're getting along."

"Why are you calling me 'darling'?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't care," he hurried. Well, hurried for Sesshomaru. "I'm merely curious."

"I figured a term of endearment or two might warm you up to the thought of maybe kissing me again before I die of old age." I looked up at him, seeing a small hint of laughter in his eyes. "How's it working?"

"It might work more if you didn't smell of cheap tequila." I leaned back and gasped in mock horror, lightly slapping his shoulder.

"How dare you, sir. Jose Cuervo is one of the most refined tastes one can have."

"Perhaps for those unschooled in the ways of fine alcohols."

"Ouch," I said as I leaned back into him. "How many more hits am I going to take this evening?" I meant it as a joke but the words caught in my throat as tears threatened to spill over and down my cheeks. What was wrong with me?

"Rin," Sesshomaru said my name as he tightened his arms around me, letting his chin rest on the crown of my head. I buried my face into his chest, trying desperately to keep any tears from falling. "This Sesshomaru will not be taking any women to bed while you are mine."

I inhaled his scent deep into my lungs before my body relaxed and I drifted off into a comfortable limbo like state, cradled in his arms. I didn't say anything to him, but I didn't need to. What he'd given me was enough.

* * *

Please leave me some reviews if you have the time :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, I can't believe how many reviews the last chapter received! It was such a rush to know that this story has gotten so much positive feedback!**

**Thanks to Lady Shenzuki, M.E.E., What's In A Name, L.M.T.O.P., Ama Zon, meghanmoo, Karrat, Marikyuu, sesshyrin4life, Janestone, Inu Daughter17, Nikki0319, Kibachow, jj, vidanime and to the other anonymous guests that left me reviews!**

**And now I'll try to address a few questions from the reviews (so if you don't care about that then please feel free to jump to the start of this chapter :) )**

**Kibachow- There MAY BE SOME HISTORY that is revealed at the end of this chapter :P (btw I feel like every time you've asked a question about this story it's like you're reading my mind lol. But then again, great minds think alike, right?!)**

**Vidanime- I thought about making it into a 'Rin drunkenly flirts with men to make Sesshy jealous', but I want Rin to be a stronger and compassionate character than that, plus I didn't want that type of scene to cheapen the storyline for our main characters**

**Marikyuu- There is a method to my writing madness, I promise. Generally if it feels sped along its because I get tired of the current scene I'm on and feel like there is nothing left to give, so I'll just cut to the next scene. Although I do try to write a somewhat lengthy chapter when I update, it's easier for me to update sooner as opposed to later because in my experience on this site, the longer I take to write, the less interested people become in the stories and it's somewhat discouraging to me as a writer when I update on here and I don't get any love for my stories lol**

**Meghanmoo- Your questions are answered in this chapter, so I hope that helps you out!**

**What's In A Name- There will not be a Kikyo in my story, mostly because since they're identical I don't want to cause a whole new can of worms with Inuyasha and Kagome since they aren't the main characters of this story**

* * *

Oh gods. Oh sweet merciful deity of hangovers. I flopped over onto my back, the soft bed cushions me as I collided back into the mattress less than gracefully.

My hair was scattered over my face, blocking most of the sunlight pouring through one of the wall length windows, but what little light poured through was enough to have me grimacing in pain as I grabbed a pillow and placed it over my face, thankful that it blocked out any and all light that spilled into my bedroom.

What time was it? I dropped my right arm from the pillow, sending my hand on a mission to locate the nightstand and find my cellphone without moving the rest of my body. It hurt to move anything else. A few minutes of awkward searching eventually led to my nightstand, but apparently I'd been too drunk the night before to remember to charge my cellphone.

I groaned again, thinking about what I'd not been too drunk to do.

Why couldn't I just let that memory float away like all of my other drunken shenanigans?

WHY DID I HAVE TO REMEMBER?

* * *

_"You know you're pretty to look at," I murmured to Lord Sesshomaru as he helped me up the first grand staircase on the way to my bedroom. My head was both full and empty, the large amount of alcohol I'd consumed making everything blurry, yet some things in deep focus. Okay, only Sesshomaru was crystal clear, everything else was muffled by alcohol, even my movements. Everything felt sluggish._

_"Hn." I let him grip my waist and hold me up, even though I could definitely make it up the stairs myself. You know, definitely. In maybe fifteen or so minutes. With plenty of stumbling._

_"Yeah, I bet any kids you have will be just as gorgeous as you." Lord Sesshomaru stiffened and I cast a startled glance his way. "Oh my gods, you've got kids don't you? Of course you do, you're like a million years old. It would be weird if you didn't have kids."_

_"This Sesshomaru does not have any pups."_

_I giggled. "You call them pups? That's pretty cute." He sent an icy glare in my direction. "I mean tough. It's very manly and not in any way adorable to refer to children as puppies." _

_I tripped up a step, stumbling into Lord Sesshomaru. When did that step get there? I could have sworn it was a few feet lower. Or inches. Did I mean feet or inches? Oh who cared. I was pressed into him and it felt amazing!_

_"Enough of this nonsense." An instant later I was cradled in his arms as he flashed us to my bedroom, sitting me comfortably onto my bed. Only I didn't feel comfortable. I felt weird. Too weird. Like my stomach was hot and cold all at the same time._

_"Oh wow." I breathed in, the unsettling sensation of my body shifting finally catching up to me. I stood up abruptly and ran into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I threw up not once, but three times. I flushed the toilet and immediately grabbed mouth wash, using too much in the hopes that it would clear out the taste that lingered in my mouth. It was foul. Lord Sesshomaru was right, I did reek of alcohol._

_Too drunk to realize that Sesshomaru was still in my bedroom even though I couldn't see him, I stripped out of my clothing, throwing garments this way and that before stepping into the shower, turning it on to clean off the smell of vomit._

_The hot water made me tired and abruptly I sat, or fell down, into the stall, laying my back and head along the wall to ensure I didn't drown in a shower. __Wouldn't that be a stupid way to die? Drunk and passed out face down in a shower? Bleh._

_I shut my eyes for an instant, or probably not. _

_"Rin. What are you doing." A question made as a statement had my eyes shooting open. When had Sesshomaru come in and why was he standing in the doorway, effectively turning off the shower and staring at me._

_I was naked._

_I should have stood up and freaked out, demanded he hand me a towel and remove himself from the room, but I didn't. We just stared at each other, which was probably extremely awkward to him, but it didn't feel like that to me. To be fair I was pretty sure I was wasted._

_"I'm tired, Sesshomaru." I blinked once and was surprised to find myself back on my bed, the sheets tucked tightly against me. The demon stood next to the bed, his clawed hands clenched tightly by his side as he stared at me. "Are you alright?"_

_"Go to sleep, Rin."_

* * *

Just the thought of the night before had me nearly wailing in down right embarrassment. I vomited and got naked in front of Lord Sesshomaru.

_I vomited and got naked in front of Lord Sesshomaru._

**I VOMITED AND GOT NAKED IN FRONT OF LORD SESSHOMARU.**

Grabbing the blankets I pulled them over my pillow covered head, hoping the bed would swallow me whole. Why did I have to drink? Better yet, what part of me thought being naked while he was in my bedroom was a good idea?

The horrors!

A soft knock came from my bedroom door before it was pushed open.

"Rin," I heard Kagome whisper, the noise assaulting my ears.

"For the love of all things holy, Kagome. Please don't talk unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Rin, this is definitely necessary." Her no nonsense tone had me pushing the covers back until my face was exposed. I brushed a bit of the hair out of my face to get a better view of her somber face.

"What's the matter?"

She sat on the side of the bed, pulling out a magazine from behind her back, handing it to me gently, almost as if it were a snake that would bite me if I touched it wrong. I took the rag mag from her, my whole body tensing when I took enough time to realize what was on the cover of the magazine.

"Is that..." Kagome nodded her head, eyes barely meeting mine before they skittered away. I gulped, my eyes as wide as saucers before I burst into tears, tossing the magazine away from me as if it were made of acid. On the cover of the magazine there was a photo of Sesshomaru and I lip locked in a 'steamy embrace' (quoted from the magazine). But that wasn't even the worst part. The headline was, 'Demon Lord Sesshomaru Finds New Monthly Squeeze?' and on the next line in tiny letters read, 'Future Lord of the Western Lands Lowers Standards to Be Seduced By Human Whore'.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems, Rin. Besides, how many people even read this stupid demon tabloid anyway?" Kagome laid a hand on my shoulder through the covers, her presence helping to soothe the ache forming in my heart.

"Where do they get off calling me a whore? I'm his damn fiancé, not that they would have cared anyway." Great, how pissed would Sesshomaru be when he found out about that? "Oh God," I whispered as the thought of him reading through that magazine flashed through my mind. Surely he wouldn't read something as despicable as that, right? No, definitely not. Not only did that magazine insult Sesshomaru, it insulted me and after my stupid antics last night I didn't need any more of my embarrassments to be found out by Sesshomaru. And being called a 'human whore' was definitely an embarrassment, no matter how untrue the 'whore' part was.

Ugh. Vultures!

"Kagome, do you think we could go grab some breakfast in a few minutes? I should probably eat something. And drink water. Lots and lots of water." I spoke up from inside my safe haven of covers, hoping she would hear me just fine.

A slight laugh. "Rin, it's already three o'clock in the afternoon. You've been asleep for hours. So we could always grab a late lunch if you wanted."

"Sounds good," and with that Kagome stood up and exited the room, leaving me alone. Naked and vulnerable, both physically and emotionally.

* * *

"Can you believe tomorrow night is the ball?" Kagome sighed happily, her eyes practically shining like stars as she discussed her upcoming event with Inuyasha. As much as I was excited for her, I was starting to feel sorry for myself. I was in my own little half ass pity party bubble and as much as I tried, I couldn't pop the damn thing.

I poked the food on my plate with the fork in my hand, shifting the meal around on my plate. As hungry as I'd been when we left, I'd been equally as put off when it seemed like that stupid magazine was following me around wherever I went as soon as we'd left the manor.

No joke, there was a couple sitting in the booth next to us, the demon woman flipping through the magazine of shame as if the pages could divulge all of humanity's secrets. If that wasn't bad enough, the demon woman looked up just in time to make awkward eye contact with me, her mouth forming a silent 'o' of understanding as our gazes locked. An instant later she had the magazine cover gripped tightly in both hands before she looked at it and then back to me, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. To be fair, I couldn't believe this was happening either.

Someone recognized me! My misery was complete.

I looked away from their booth, staring intently at the food in front of me. We'd gone to a local Chinese restaurant at my insistence, but now all I could do was push around the chicken and rice on my plate.

I looked back up at Kagome, who smiled sadly at me before she grabbed my hand and squeeze it from across the table. "Let's get out of here, hun."

I smiled and nodded my head, standing up eagerly in anticipation of leaving this place and that dreaded magazine behind.

The demon women at the booth next to us picked up her and drink and smiled at me. "This is for seducing the great Lord Sesshomaru, you stupid human bitch." And then the drink exploded towards me, covering me head to toe in water. I gasped as the cold liquid hit my clothing and skin, seeping through the cashmere sweater I'd put on to protect against the cold weather outside.

"You stupid bitch!" Kagome shouted, lunging for the demon in a rare moment of fury. Before she could reach the demon, I grabbed her arm, effectively yanking her back and to my side.

"It's fine, Kagome. Let's just go." My teeth started chattering together as I spoke, making me nearly as angry as Kagome. But unfortunately, I felt more sad than I did angry. Were people really so naive?

The demon woman smirked and I turned around, gently tugging Kagome with me as we left the restaurant. My shoulders were slumped and I made sure to stare at the ground as we left in the hopes of not catching another person's gaze.

"Oh, Rin." Kagome wrapped a hand around my waist, holding me close as we walked. I kept my gaze away from her, knowing that if I looked at her right that moment I would burst into tears.

We walked across the street to the car park, finding the car and Shippo within a minute of searching.

Shippo stared at us wide eyed, his mouth hanging open at the state I was apparently in. I probably looked like a drowned rat. "Is everything alright, Ms. Rin?" I smiled slightly at him as I passed, entering the car and scooting over to give Kagome plenty of room to hop in next to me.

Shippo turned and peeked in through the back door, almost as if he were going to mention something, but he stopped and shut the door slowly, giving Kagome and I the privacy I so desperately needed. Not wasting any time, I put up the privacy screen before slumping back into my seat, closing my eyes and humming a soothing song to keep my mind off of the last half hour.

* * *

We made it back to the manor without incident, which was more than fine with me. To be honest, I was half afraid someone would run us off the road because the whore of Sesshomaru was sitting in the back seat, but luckily for us all nothing traumatic occurred. It was like the car was a safe haven, protecting me from any and all trouble. It was nice while it lasted, but as we pulled down the long drive and up to the manor, the blood rushed to my ears and my face flushed with dread.

Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were standing with their father, Lord Inu, on the front steps leading into the manor, obviously awaiting our arrival.

"Oh crap," Kagome explained, clearly understanding my distress. Not only had I been humiliated at a local restaurant, I was about to be humiliate yet again when I had to explain things to all three of the new men in my life.

I ran a shaking hand through my now damp hair, grimacing when I realized how awful I must actually look. "Be honest, Kagome. How bad is it?" I asked, worried about her answer. She turned to me and in a flash she had my hair in her hand, braiding it quickly and efficiently into a long side braid before she used a hair band on her wrist to tie it off on the end, letting it settle all the way to my waist. She then licked her thumb and rubbed it under each of my eyes, pulling off any eye shadow that might have smudged during my water assault. At that moment I was definitely grateful that the only type of make up I generally wore out was eyeshadow and mascara. I wasn't sure what else could have been salvaged if I'd applied a full face worth of make up.

Last but not least, Kagome took off her coat and handed it to me. I threw it on, grateful for it's length and buttoned it up, covering up my drenched shirt. "I don't think they're going to be able to tell you got water thrown on you, now. Although they might wonder why your hair is wet, but we can just explain that away or something. No big deal." I nodded, looking back at the trio of demons waiting for us as the car pulled to a stop, silently wondering why they were all gathered outside.

"I thought Lord Inu wasn't supposed to be back for a few more days?"

Kagome shrugged. "Who knows? He went to meet his wife in Paris for some sort of romantic getaway, but maybe they both came back a few days early?"

"Oh that's right. I forgot she would be coming back with him. I hear she's a pretty nice lady, although I don't have any idea how she's still alive. Inuyasha is right about two hundred years old, so shouldn't she be dead?"

Kagome shook her head, watching Shippo speak quickly and quietly to the men in front of him. I hadn't even noticed he'd left the vehicle. As he spoke Lord Inu grimaced and looked distraught while Lord Sesshomaru's shoulders tightened even more than usual and his eyes were practically sparking with barely concealed venom. What were they so angry about? "No," Kagome responded. "Inuyasha told me that when a dog demon, or maybe it works for any demon, anyways, when a dog demon finds their true mate they can bind their life forces together, thus allowing the mates to age at the same rate, even if one of them is human. So she probably still looks how she did when she met Lord Inu. I nodded. It made sense. Well, as much sense as all that could actually make.

"I think we're going to have to let ourselves out of the car this time," I joked to Kagome, nudging her with my shoulder to turn the handle and let us out of the vehicle.

"Oh, right." She said before she exited the car. I grabbed my own door and let myself out, mentally thanking Kagome for helping me conceal the incident from earlier. I turned and walked toward the group, a smile plastered on my face at all the men before me.

"Are you certain?" Lord Inu looked me up and down as he asked Shippo his question.

"Yes, my Lord." I cast a confused glance at Kagome. Surely Shippo didn't out me to the demons?

"Rin." Sesshomaru stared at me, giving nothing away, not that he ever did. "Remove your coat." Instinctively I clutched the coat tighter to my body.

"Why?" The word came out as a stutter, making me more irritated than ever. Not only was I a 'human whore' I had also just developed a stutter. Fantastic.

"You know why." I cast one glance at Kagome who was standing arm in arm with Inuyasha before I sighed. Unbuttoning the jacket slowly, I slowly removed the item from my body, my face flushing when Lord Inu cursed angrily under his breath.

"This is much worse than I feared it would be." Lord Inu spoke to Sesshomaru. "You must debut your engagement much sooner than I anticipated, both of you."

"That's fine. I was going to introduce Kagome as my fiancé at the ball tomorrow night if that is acceptable." Inuyasha wrapped a hand around Kagome's waist protectively.

"Wonderful," Lord Inu said before turning to Sesshomaru, almost as if he were anticipating a battle. I was anticipating it as well. Sesshomaru merely nodded his head in agreement before casting a side glance in my direction.

"You will attend the ball with me tomorrow evening."

"You mean that 'farce' of a date?" I joked, remembering our previous conversation and hoping to lighten the mood slightly. I noticed his eyes seemed to soften for a moment before they hardened again, almost as if they'd never been anything but orbs of solid gold.

* * *

Later that evening and freshly showered and changed into clean, dry clothing, I made my way downstairs and to my new favorite room, the ballroom that held the treasure that was my piano. I'd yet to see anyone playing it since Kagome and I had moved in, so therefore I had claimed the instrument as my own.

I slipped onto the bench, tuning the keys expertly before loosening up my fingers in preparation of playing a song or two. Generally whenever I played and it wasn't for a concert, it was a song that pertained to whatever situation I was going through, and the song on my mind was no different. It took a few tries on the piano to find the right key to start with since I didn't have any sheet music for 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', but once I hit the right first note, it was as if my fingertips had the rest of the notes programmed into them.

**When you're weary, feeling small,**  
**When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;**  
**I'm on your side. When times get rough**  
**And friends just can't be found,**  
**Like a bridge over troubled water**  
**I will lay me down.**  
**Like a bridge over troubled water**  
**I will lay me down.**

**When you're down and out,**  
**When you're on the street,**  
**When evening falls so hard**  
**I will comfort you.**  
**I'll take your part.**  
**When darkness comes**  
**And pain is all around,**  
**Like a bridge over troubled water**  
**I will lay me down.**  
**Like a bridge over troubled water**  
**I will lay me down.**

**Sail on silvergirl,**  
**Sail on by.**  
**Your time has come to shine.**  
**All your dreams are on their way.**  
**See how they shine.**  
**If you need a friend**  
**I'm sailing right behind.**  
**Like a bridge over troubled water**  
**I will ease your mind.**  
**Like a bridge over troubled water**  
**I will ease your mind.**

I let my hands drop from the piano and quickly wiped a stray tear that had fallen as I'd sang, all of the emotions I'd kept bottled up all day crashing together as I'd played. My shoulders slumped when I looked up at a slight noise, expecting to see Sesshomaru and instead finding his father standing before me. I don't know why I felt such acute disappointment, but I'd honestly been hoping Lord Sesshomaru would have been the demon in front of me, even if I did really enjoy his father's company.

Lord Inu came over to the piano, sitting companionably next to me on the bench.

"I had a feeling this piano would be a great idea. You play quite beautifully, Rin."

I smiled slightly and looked back at the piano, changing the subject away from the compliment I'd just been given. I never reacted properly to compliments of any sort. "I never see anyone else play it. How long have you had this? It's such a lovely piano." And expensive.

Lord Inu turned slightly so our bodies mostly faced one another before he gave me a dubious look. "This piano arrived a day before you and Kagome came to stay with us." My brow furrowed in confusion at his tone. He smiled warmly before continuing. "I didn't buy this piano. It was a gift from Sesshomaru. To you." My mouth dropped open.

"Come again?"

"You didn't know? No of course not, I doubt my son would find it pertinent information to give. You know, dear, I was with Sesshomaru the first time he ever heard you play. It was last year at a concert and you had a solo. Forgive me, I don't remember the song you'd played, but I hadn't ever seen my son captivated by anything up until he heard your music. At first I didn't think much of it, but a few months later we attended another concert of Sesshomaru's choosing and I found it quite interesting to see that you were playing yet again. I don't think I would have recognized you had I not noticed how rapt with attention Sesshomaru became as soon as you began to play. It intrigued me greatly, I admit. After another concert and then another I came to the conclusion that my son wasn't just captivated with your music, I believed him to be captivated by you as well, maybe even more so than your music."

"Oh," was all I could think to say. I think Sesshomaru had mentioned hearing me play before, but I hadn't even begun to grasp the idea that he might have listened to me play on several occasions at several different venues. I hadn't played in a few months since I'd graduated college since my time with the music department had ended. To be honest, the college hadn't put on the concerts, it was actual theaters that hired performers during certain events, so I could have still kept playing even after I'd graduated, but I had decided to focus on my actual major in accounting since that was what would provide my income. Playing music was great, but when I was only hired out as an individual performer a few times a month it didn't really help pay the bills. Not that I really had that to worry about anymore.

"If I'm being frank with you, Rin, you are the reason I sought out a deal with your aunt." My mouth dropped open in shock. Lord Inu laughed lowly, the sound husky and pleasant before he continued. "Although my son has been bewitched by you, he would have never sought out any type of relationship on the basis of your humanity. He likes to view humans as specimen under a microscope as opposed to actual individuals. So I took matters into my own hands. His lack of objections to this union has led me to believe that he is actually anticipating the idea of you in his life."

"He's barely even spent any time with me since I moved here. I'm sorry, but I don't think Sesshomaru is as fond of me as you would like to believe." The words hurt to say, but I thought we both needed to hear them.

"My dear, I've known that whelp for over four hundred years. Had he really not wanted a marriage with you, you would not be in this manor playing an instrument provided to you by your future husband. I don't want you to feel discouraged, which is why I've divulged this information to you. Be patient with him, woo him to your side for all eternity." I raised an eyebrow at that statement. Eternity? He did know I was going to die eventually, right? "Trust me, dear Rin. When I first met my Izayoi I was just as harsh towards humans as Sesshomaru. Uncaring about them or their struggles, but there was something that captivated me from the moment I laid my eyes upon her. I knew she was mine. It was the same look I saw on my son the first time he saw you. As I said, be patient." With that, the dog demon disappeared in a flash of white, leaving me sitting alone on the piano bench, unsure of what all I had just heard.

* * *

**BUM BUM BUM**

**That lost part revealed a significant amount of info, right?! So now we know that although Sesshomaru is reluctant about being involved with our dear Rin, he is drawn to her in a way he can't explain and it's intriguing to him (Just a side note, Sesshy doesn't know that Rin is his true mate, he's currently struggling with himself because he is drawn to her and he can't figure out why).**

**Please leave some reviews for me! **

**-Mo**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay guys, it's the next day and I've already got another update for you! It's a bit longer this time (by about a 1,000 words) so I hope you enjoy it!**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I can't believe how many I've been getting every time I update a chapter, but it makes me extremely happy! If we keep this up then I'll actually have one of my RinxSesshy stories that reaches over 100 reviews before the story ends and this is exciting!**

**Please enjoy this next chapter and feel free to leave me a review/fav/follow the story! I don't think you'll be disappointed.**

* * *

I sat alone on that piano bench for at least half an hour, more confused than I'd ever felt in my entire life.

What had just happened?

I mean, I _knew _what had just happened, I'd been present when Lord Inu had saw fit to divulge such secret information about his son to me. Well, he shared what he _thought _were secrets, but they couldn't have been right. Surely Lord Sesshomaru hadn't sought me out this past year just to hear me play? Obviously if they were attending some business function and I just happened to be there it wasn't considered 'seeking' anyone out. But then again, Lord Inu had admitted that it was Lord Sesshomaru who chose each of the venues after the first time they'd heard me play. If that was even true.

Sure, the first time I'd sat at this piano bench and played for Kagome, Lord Sesshomaru had appeared practically out of thin air. And the time after that we'd had another encounter of an entirely physical nature after he had shown up out of nowhere. Hadn't he told me that the piano had called to him? Had he meant me as opposed to just the sound of the piano? But in that case, wouldn't he have shown up to listen to me play this last song? Instead it had been his father who had talked with me about my future relationship with his son. Better yet, it was his father who had come to give me hope about whatever type of relationship I would eventually have with Lord Sesshomaru. He was probably just trying to make me feel better about being broadcasted as a whore all over some demon tabloid and the only way he thought to do it was to create some romantic story about his son who had already been bewitched by me before we'd even technically met.

It sounded like something out of a sappy romance novel, not real life which was why I found myself so hesitant to accept that as any possible type of truth. Besides, although there were certain things that might hint at Lord Inu's words being true, I wasn't going to believe them unless I heard them from Lord Sesshomaru himself. If he wanted me to know such things he would tell me and if not then I wouldn't bother myself with them. Even if I found myself wishing that Lord Sesshomaru was as taken with me as I was him. It wasn't something I needed to dwell on. Right?

Ugh, it was all so confusing.

Lord Inu was under the impression that Lord Sesshomaru was captivated by me and my music. It would have made complete sense if he had actually shown up this last time, giving him a perfect attendance record since I had moved into the manor. But he hadn't. He'd left me alone with my thoughts. Maybe he wasn't even at the manor. He was an important demon, he probably had loads of things to do.

I stared down at the piano.

Maybe if I played again... I mean, his father was gone now and there wouldn't be an audience if Sesshomaru decided to hide in the background and listen. Isn't that what he normally did, anyway? Maybe if he was here he would come to me if I played something.

Sighing loudly, I placed my hands on the keys, unsure of what song to play. Something sad, fun, haunting? If I was being honest with myself, I still wanted to play something that pertained to my horrid day out with Kagome. Not only had I been humiliated, but in that moment I'd felt weak and vulnerable and worse yet, I felt like I had disappointed Lord Sesshomaru, although I'd never admit that to anyone. It wasn't my fault someone had leaked photos of us to a magazine, but I was engaged to marry one of the fiercest demons in Japan and when someone had thrown a beverage at me, I'd just walked away with my head hung low as if I deserved it. Where was my fire, my anger? My passion? I was so much better than that demon had made me out to be, yet I'd done nothing. I was better than that, I was stronger than that.

And just like that, I knew what song to play.

**Skies are crying, I am watching**  
**Catching tear drops in my hands**  
**Only silence as it's ending**  
**Like we never had a chance**  
**Do you have to make me feel like**  
**There's nothing left of me?**

**You can take everything I have**  
**You can break everything I am**  
**Like I'm made of glass**  
**Like I'm made of paper**  
**Go on and try to tear me down**  
**I will be rising from the ground**  
**Like a skyscraper**  
**Like a skyscraper**

**As the smoke clears, I awaken**  
**And untangle you from me**  
**Would it make you feel better**  
**To watch me while I bleed?**  
**All my windows still are broken**  
**But I'm standing on my feet**

**You can take everything I have**  
**You can break everything I am**  
**Like I'm made of glass**  
**Like I'm made of paper**  
**Go on and try to tear me down**  
**I will be rising from the ground**  
**Like a skyscraper**  
**Like a skyscraper**

**Go run, run, run**  
**I'm gonna stay right here,**  
**Watch you disappear**  
**Yeah, oh**  
**Go run, run, run**  
**Yeah, it's a long way down**  
**But I am closer to the clouds up here**

**You can take everything I have**  
**You can break everything I am**  
**Like I'm made of glass**  
**Like I'm made of paper**  
**Oh Oh**  
**Go on and try to tear me down**  
**I will be rising from the ground**  
**Like a skyscraper**

I sighed for what seemed like the 100th time that day as I finished the song, stretching my fingers to keep the ache out of them. I turned towards the doorway, hoping I'd see a pair of ice gold eyes staring back at me paired with a stoic expression that was guaranteed to make me weak in the knees. Instead of the most beautiful demon leaning against the doorway with his hands tucked comfortably into the pockets of his slacks, the doorway was empty.

I was truly and utterly alone.

* * *

"Oh my gods, it's actually happening! We're going to a ball! I feel like Cinderella!" Kagome held her dress to her body, twirling around the room as if she were already wearing the red gown, her skirt billowing around her legs until she finally stopping spinning around in circles.

"Kagome, you know we still have like four hours until we need to be ready for this thing, right?" I moved out of her way as she feigned a rather complicated version of the waltz, nearly stumbling over a pair of her shoes in my haste to get out of the way. "And if you really wanted to feel like Cinderella you could pick up all these damn shoes!" I griped at her, feeling irritated at her constant peppy mood. She'd been prancing around my bedroom for the last two hours, no matter how hard I had tried to ignore her. I'd even hopped into the shower, taking as much time as I could with grooming myself before I left the bathroom an hour later in the hopes she had given up and gone back to her room across the hall. Instead, she'd been lounging on the cushioned bench in front of my vanity, practicing some sort of pouty face to 'entice Inuyasha' (her exact words).

She hadn't left me alone all day long and it was starting to wear on my nerves.

"So what are you going to wear?"

"I hadn't decided." I answered her truthfully.

Not wasting another moment, Kagome rushed the armoire that currently held an assortment of luxurious dresses I hadn't glanced at since the day we moved in, mostly because I was afraid to touch them. I don't even think I'd taken one out for fear of ripping it or worse.

"Wait!" I shouted at her too late, for she'd already pulled open the doors, gasping in delight at each and every different type of gown. She'd pulled open my secret treasure chest full of goodies and was oohing and aahing at them almost as fiercely as I'd been the first time I'd lain eyes on such fine silk and shininess.

"Oh my gods, Rin. These are wonderful!" At the sight of Kagome rummaging through my precious items I wanted to snatch her hand away and tell her to leave my beautiful gowns alone, but another darker, scarier, feminine part was thrilled my cousin had yanked open the doors to the armoire, thus allowing me to gawk at the gowns with her. I hadn't actually planned on ever wearing one of those gowns that had been so carefully tucked away, but now that there was an occasion to wear one of them I couldn't keep my eyes of the armoire full of goodies. There were such wonders hiding in my bedroom!

My gowns really were beautiful! Especially the one that was deep purple, around the same shade as the markings on Lord Sesshomaru's face. It was both breathtaking and a very daring type of gown for me. In some ways it seemed extremely revealing, even if it was floor length. Looking at the gown as Kagome pulled it slightly out, I had a hard time picturing Lord Sesshomaru selecting such a gown for me. He didn't seem the type to tolerate a woman wearing something so daring while she planned to spend the evening on his arm.

Noticing my fixed attention on the gown, Kagome gently pulled it from the armoire, gasping again when she noticed the back, or lack thereof, of the gown.

"Oh wow. Have you tried it on yet, Rin?" I shook my head, my mouth dry as I stared at the gown full on. It was more beautiful than I remembered when I'd first looked into the armoire. Was it possible that a dress could grow more gorgeous over time?

Kagome pushed the dress at me, ushering me to take it. Gently I removed it from her hands, the soft, smooth fabric sending chills up my arms as the dress brushed against them. "I have to say, Sesshomaru has awesome taste. You've got to wear this tonight!"

"Tonight?" Was she out of her mind? "Are you out of your mind? People think I'm Lord Sesshomaru's whore and you want me to dress in this slinky getup and go to a ball with him while wearing _this_?!"

Kagome looked at me as if I'd grown a second head. "Uh, yeah? I'm sorry, I don't understand the problem."

I sat the dress gently on the bed before sinking next to it. "If people are already calling me a whore, I don't want to wear something so provocative out tonight. What if people throw more drinks at me and in that, no less?" The thought of my beautiful gown in ruins nearly had me breaking something in half in fury. I didn't want to know what I would do if it actually happened.

"If they're already calling you a whore then who gives a damn what they think, Rin? You and I and everyone else in this household knows the truth and do you honestly think anyone is going to do anything to you while you're on Sesshomaru's arm all evening? I think they have to have a death wish to pull a stunt like that or any kind. Besides, this is our big reveal to a bunch of people who apparently care a lot about who The Taisho demons are marrying these days. I don't think anyone is going to think nasty thoughts about the future Lady of the West, do you?" She put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but it only felt like a piece of rock that was weighing me down. I felt like a lot of things were weighing me down lately.

"Oh gods, Kagome. Don't call me that, alright? I'm not the future anyone of anything." I stared down at the dress next to me. What if Sesshomaru saw me in it and made me change? What if he thought it too inappropriate for the function we would be attending later? What if he was completely indifferent to the way I looked? I didn't think I could bear it.

Kagome looked at me before suggestively throwing in, "I think Sesshomaru is going to have a hard time looking at anyone but you in that dress, Rin." I rolled my eyes, even if the compliment made me sit up straighter.

"What if he thinks I don't look good in it?" I asked her quietly, afraid of her answer.

Kagome came over to me, placing a hand gently on my shoulder while her other one grabbed my chin, tilting my head back until I looked up at her.

"I think he cares more about you then you would like to think, Rin. Can I show you something without you getting upset with me?" I nodded my head. Kagome left the room for the first time since she entered it a few hours ago before returning less than a minute later, the dreaded magazine clutched tightly in her hand. Hadn't I thrown that away? Jeez, how many did she have? Kagome handed the magazine to me. "Look at the photo of you two." I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, I want you to tell me what you see when you look at the picture."

Sighing, I looked down and stared at it, not understanding what the hell she wanted me to see. "Well, first off I see me throwing myself at Lord Sesshomaru and being photographed and humiliated for it."

"I'm not talking about you in the photo. Look again."

I looked down and this time stared at Lord Sesshomaru. The photo had been taken a few moments before he'd pushed me away from him, but I'd been a bit buzzed when the kiss had taken place. Which made sense that I didn't remember him wrapping an arm around my waist and holding me to him, which was clearly evident in this photo. My breath caught in my chest the more I stared at it. His eyes were shut just as mine had been, his face tilted into the kiss, looking as if he were enjoying it as much as I had been. One of my hands were placed lovingly on his chest and the other was cupping his cheek. In the photo it was evident that he hadn't minded the embrace and suddenly I had the weirdest urge to cry.

I'd been looking at this rag mag as a terrible thing, a tragedy that defamed my character when I shouldn't have cared about the words smeared across that cover page at all. I should have been looking at the photo captured in it instead.

I'd been worried for the past few days since the kiss happened that Lord Sesshomaru had been mad at me for placing him into that sort of situation, but as I stared down at the picture reverently, I realized that he'd been as involved in the kiss as I had been. Why hadn't I seen that before?

Stupid alcohol.

Maybe Lord Sesshomaru really had been seeking me out the past year at whichever venue I performed. The more I stared at the photo the more it was beginning to seem less and less farfetched.

I looked away from the photo, down to the dress and then back to Kagome, grateful that in times of crisis she always knew how to step up and help me in whatever way she could. Kagome really was a sister to me. "Do you think my boobs will fit into that?"

* * *

I looked at myself in the mirror, feeling a small fluttering of butterfly wings in my stomach. Was it possible to be in love with a dress? I hoped so, because I was beginning to suspect Lord Sesshomaru might have to woo my love away from the dress and to him if he ever decided he wanted me.

The dress was a deep purple with an even deeper v-neck, the edges of it covered in diamonds until the v-neck ended into the dress. It was sleek and hugged every curve, making my chest look big, but covering it in a classy way even if there was ample cleavage. When I turned to admire the dress from the back, that was where I'd found myself captivated. It was backless, with two lines of diamonds reaching from my waist and up to the v-neck part of the gown. There was another trail of diamonds that formed around the start of the back of the dress, the material of the dress clinging to my backside nicely. The real beauty of my gown was that the train of the dress was the most breathtaking part of it. Diamonds formed just below the seat of the gown in a floral, swirling pattern, growing larger and spreading until it reached the end of the dress. I had on a simple pair of diamond earrings and an equally simple diamond bracelet, not wanting my jewelry to compete with the gown I'd so lovingly put on only moments before. Even my high heeled shoes were a simple silver color that were hidden beneath my dress.

I'd worn my hair in a sleek braided bun, allowing anyone and everyone to see my entire back, which looked amazing, especially with the two strings of diamonds that made my back look creamy instead of pale. It was a nice contrast.

I'd also gone for a dramatic smokey eye with mascara, a bit of blush and a deep pink lipstick shade that fit nicely with the color of the gown. Red lipstick just would have made the gown look cheap and I was distinctly glad for each and every little thing Lord Sesshomaru had provided for me, otherwise I might not have had all the accessories to pull such a gown off. He had to have had an assistant or someone female pick out a bunch of the items in my room. I couldn't believe he would know what all was needed. Unless he had googled it. Then it made sense.

I took a few steps around the room in the four inch heels, worried that I might not be able to walk in such stilettos, but as luck would have it, it was a much easier task than I had been anticipating. Considering I spent my life in flats, I was walking like a champion in those stilettos. I grabbed a small silver clutch from the walk-in closet and then exited my room and crossed the hall over to Kagome's, wanting to pat myself on the back for having such awesome skills walking in the heels I'd bravely put on my feet.

I didn't bother knocking, simply pulling open the door and stepping inside, careful that the train of my gown was safely away from the door before I closed it. I shut with a soft click, barely making any noise. I looked around the room, feeling slightly nervous when I didn't see Kagome, but rather heard an odd sound coming from inside her bathroom.

"Kagome? I figured you'd be ready by now." I called out, rushing to the bathroom when I heard a faint shriek from within. I barged in, more than ready to defend her against whatever had scared her so badly. "Kagome, what is it OHMYGODSWHYAREYOUANDINUYASHABOTHNAKED?!" I shrieked before stumbling away from the bathroom and back into the safety of the bedroom. "Can you two stop humping each other like rabbits for five damn minutes?! Inuyasha, put some pants on and get the hell out of this bedroom right now! Kagome needs to get ready and you're making it impossible!" I kept a hand wrapped protectively over my eyes, careful not to smudge my makeup as I yelled at both of them. Although why I had my hand covering my eyes was beyond me. I'd already seen EVERYTHING.

I'd seen things I didn't think would ever be erased from my mind. At least not until something else more shocking happened to me...And considering my track record with shocks the past few weeks, I was willing to bet something equally as shocking as seeing my cousin and a demon having sex in the bathroom was bound to happen before the evening was through.

"Would you relax, Rin? It's not a big deal. Besides, I was perfectly fine until I saw her in that dress she bought." Inuyasha scoffed and I heard his footsteps lead from the bathroom and toward the bedroom door. "I'd be careful if I were you, Rin. Wearing something like that is bound to rile up my brother. Feh. Bout time something did, anyway." And with that, Inuyasha shut the bedroom door behind him. I pulled my hand away from my eyes, glaring in his direction.

"Be careful?" I muttered under my breath. "Whatever." An image of me in my short nightgown being pulled up against Sesshomaru's hard body had me fidgeting uncomfortably. He had reacted as if he'd been riled up then. Should I have worn a wrap with this? My heart fluttered in my chest and I thought about being pressed up close to Sesshomaru again, his hands skimming my waist, his breath along the exposed column of my throat. I shivered.

Then again... A wrap wasn't necessary. Not at all.

"I am so sorry you saw that, Rin." Kagome came flying out from the bathroom. She stopped and gaped at me before whistling lowly. "You look so sexy, Rin! Sesshomaru would be a fool to let you out of his sight!" She came fully into the room, makeup and hair perfectly intact as she wiggled her body into her dress, tossing on a pair of heels that had lain forgotten by the bathroom door.

"Well at least he let you take your shoes off first." Kagome's cheeks heated. I laughed at her. "Seriously though. You're using protection, right?" Kagome paled in front of me. The look of slowly dawning horror on her face must have matched my own perfectly. We stared at each other with our mouths hanging open before I spoke. "No, you have got to be joking. You're never this naive, Kagome!" I scolded my older cousin, feeling yet again like the grown up out of the two of us. Shouldn't we both be acting like adults? And maybe my scolding was a tiny bit of jealousy on my part. I wanted someone to be intimate with. And I had that someone, I just needed to make him realize it.

"I hadn't even thought about it. How have I not been thinking about it?" Kagome placed a hand over her stomach as if she might be ill. Or as if she were cradling some precious cargo. "Holy crap. We haven't been using any protection. At all."

"Well, I guess you'll be giving him pups a bit sooner than expected, huh?"

Kagome's eyes widened like saucers. "Pups? Don't you mean babies?"

This time my cheeks heated with embarrassment. "Um. Sesshomaru says they're called pups to dog demons. I even heard Lord Inu refer to Sesshomaru as a whelp the other night."

"When did you talk to Lord Inu?"

Well crap. I had hoped to not discuss with Kagome what he'd told me. "I was playing the piano after the drink incident and he came in there to chat with me. You know, nothing important." Unless you considered his overwhelming urge to guide me closer to his son as something important. Which I did.

"Oh. Did you guys talk about anything in particular?" She cast a hard look in my direction, making me squirm slightly. It was really creepy how she had the power to know I was lying even before I'd opened my mouth. She'd been doing it since we were kids and I didn't think she'd be any more lenient on Inuyasha than she was on me.

"Nothing that I think we should talk about." I didn't want to spread around Sesshomaru's secrets, especially when I'd heard them from a second party. It wasn't right and I would feel terrible doing something like that. "It's nothing, really." Kagome nodded her head and looked away, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

"We should probably head downstairs now that we're both ready." Kagome sniffed and shook her head before plastering on a large smile for me. "Tonight is going to be so much fun!" I nodded my head in agreement although I was becoming more nervous about heading downstairs than I should have been.

Before I knew it we were walking briskly down the hallway and then we were at the top of the stairs.

The demons were waiting at the foot of the stairs but I hardly paid attention to anyone other than Sesshomaru. I sucked in a deep breath as I took in his form fitting black tuxedo, his hair flowing freely in waves of straight silver silk. He looked up when I sucked in a breath, our eyes meeting and holding before he took in my outfit, his eyelids lowering slightly but I caught a definite glimpse of red eyes before his golden orbs were back and rising slowly up my body to meet my own eyes again.

"Told you," Kagome whispered to me before winking. I blushed. So Kagome had seen his eyes change too? Then I hadn't been imagining it those other times as well. I wondered what the change in eye color meant?

Not wanting to waste any more time, I grabbed onto the banister, walking slowly down the steps until I reached the foyer. The next instant Lord Sesshomaru stood in front of me, his body practically invading my own personal bubble. Not that I minded. He smelled of the forest, deep and inviting. It was a pleasant aroma.

When a few moments passed of us just staring at each other I finally spoke up.

"You look very handsome, Lord Sesshomaru."

"The gown suits you, Rin." I smiled up at him, even though I wasn't exactly sure if that was a compliment or not.

"Yes, you two will be the most beautiful women in the room this evening. Be prepared to keep your dates close at hand, my sons." Lord Inu piped up before opening the front door and moving outside. Hit with a blast of cold air, I shuddered before turning back to Sesshomaru.

"I forgot my jacket, I'll just be right back."

"Nonsense." And with that, he quickly took off his suit tuxedo top, placing it gently over my shoulders. When his clawed hand lightly scraped against my collarbone I shivered again, but for an entirely different reason. Heat surged through my womb and coursed through my entire body, making my cheeks flush at our close proximity and the barest touch of his flesh on mine.

Lord Sesshomaru inhaled deeply before his eyes turned a blood red and he stepped into me, dropping his head to rest his face in the hollow of my neck. He breathed in deeply and his arms wrapped around my bare back. My first reaction was to glance around the foyer, more than thrilled to know everyone else had already stepped outside. I didn't want another rare moment of his affection to be seen by anyone other than myself. It was more precious to me than this gown was and I _loved_ this gown. My second reaction was to dance up on down in joy, even though I didn't. He was holding me! And it felt really nice. So good.

Hesitantly and not to startle him, I wrapped my hands around his neck, careful not to pull his long hair before I brought myself closer to him, letting my forehead rest comfortably on his shoulder. We stayed like that for a few minutes, neither of us breaking away from the contact that seemed so valuable.

"Is everything alright?" I asked lowly, wondering what had happened to cause such a change in him.

"Lately it has become more difficult to maintain certain control in your presence." The words came out harshly, almost as if he was at war with himself.

"Is that why your eyes change colors sometimes?"

"Hn."

"I know we don't know each other well enough yet, but you don't have to be so controlled around me. I kind of like it when you hold me like this." As soon as I said it I wanted to smack my head against a wall.

_Kind of like it? KIND OF? _It was the most wonderful sensation I'd ever experienced. It was so wonderful it was beyond proper description, but surely I could have said something better than 'kind of'. What was wrong with me?

Lord Sesshomaru broke apart from me a few moments later, letting his hands fall to his sides as mine did.

Another instant and Inuyasha appeared in the doorway. "Come on, love birds. We're going to be late enough as it is."

I gripped Sesshomaru's jacket around my body, trailing after the two demons and out to the limousine parked outside. I descended the last set of stairs and my shoe, caught on my gown, plunging me forward.

Strong arms gripped me to a tight, solid chest, Lord Sesshomaru's hands clutching my bare back almost possessively. When had his hands gotten under the jacket I had around my shoulders?

"I'm sorry," I smiled shyly up at him, a bit embarrassed by what had just happened.

Lord Sesshomaru didn't answer back, he only held me tighter to him, his eyes turning blood red and his claws moving up and down my back seductively. My breath caught and I moved my head up slightly, eyes starting to close when his head lowered to mine, our lips almost touching as our breath mingled.

"Come on!" Inuyasha hollered, breaking the moment between Lord Sesshomaru and myself. That was all it took for Lord Sesshomaru to remove his hands from me and for his mask to fall perfectly into place. I looked over to glare at Inuyasha, not caring if Sesshomaru saw me or not.

Inuyasha smiled and slid in to the limo first while Sesshomaru stood back and allowed me to enter before him. I slid into my seat and looked up in time to see Lord Inu winking at me and smiling before he looked away as if it had never happened.

* * *

**Don't forget to leave a review!**

**-mo**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! I've been sick the past few days (and still right now) and I have family coming to town next week, so I've been super busy. I'm going to write this chapter for y'all, but it will probably be a few weeks before another chapter will be available (prob. around Nov.15th). I hope this chapter is enough to sustain y'all until the next!**

**Much love,**

**Mo**

* * *

We pulled up to a concert hall located about an hour away from the manor, which wasn't surprising considering the manor was practically hidden away from civilization. Kagome sent a happy glance in my direction as the car came to a slow stop next to a long red carpet that led to the main entrance. There were velvet ropes on either side of the carpet, blocking off the massive amount of journalists and camera crews that lingered, harassing anyone and everyone that was on the red carpet. From what I could tell, it looked to be only demons on the carpet.

"Now, now that it should be an issue, but remain close to your dates throughout the evening. Although this is a business gathering, I can only assume that some of the demons here will be eyeing you two as a threat and might act rashly."

"Why would they consider us a threat?" I asked as Kagome said, "Are there no other humans in there besides us?"

Lord Inu Taisho smiled kindly at both of us, his deep voice rumbling as he replied. "There are a few human business partners within the concert hall to be sure, however, it's the demons to concern yourselves with. As we are the most influential demons in the country, a few demon women have set their eyes on my sons and won't be pleased that their attentions have turned to you."

I sent a startled glance to Kagome, not sure how to respond. Although, I wasn't sure why I was so startled. I'd already experienced my share of fame being attached to Lord Sesshomaru, was it really so hard to believe these demon women would be irritated they were marrying humans? It didn't seem like that far of a stretch to me.

Lord Inu Taisho clasped his hand in mine, ignoring the way Sesshomaru seemed to tense when our hands made contact. "Everything will be fine, Rin. I merely enjoy exercising caution when it comes to you girls. You have no idea how important you are." He let go of my hand and straightened his bow tie as Shippo came around to the door, opening it slowly for us.

Lord Inu Taisho exited the vehicle first, followed by Inuyasha, Kagome, Sesshomaru and then I was stepping from the vehicle myself. Flashing lights blinded me slightly and I heard people screaming my name as I followed diligently behind Lord Sesshomaru, careful to keep as little distance between us as possible. The other demons we'd watched on the carpet had paused to allow the journalists to take photos of them, no doubt for some magazine or another, however, Sesshomaru moved neither fast nor slow into the building, pausing for no one. I came into the building maybe a second after he had, rather grateful we'd passed and left Kagome and Inuyasha on the carpet instead of pausing to wait for them.

If I was being honest with myself I had had enough of the limelight to last me quite a while. Like forever.

I turned to look behind me, waiting for Kagome and Inuyasha to head inside, more than a little nervous about the upcoming ball. What if I made a fool of myself and embarrassed Lord Sesshomaru? Granted I wasn't sure how I could possibly embarrass myself, but if there was a way then I was nearly positive it would happen. That was generally how it worked with me. Staring back at my cousin a bit wistfully, I didn't realize I had been staring out at the photographers for any length of time until I turned back to Sesshomaru and InuTaisho, only to find myself standing alone. Weren't we supposed to stay together?! I wondered if the two demons had even realized I'd stopped pursuing them to wait for my cousin and almost brother in law.

I turned back towards the ballroom, eyebrows raised slightly. I opened my mouth and closed it again, unsure of what I planned on saying. Shout for Lord Sesshomaru?

Please.

It was just a party, I could more than handle being by myself, although I was a little concerned that I'd been abandoned so quickly, especially given that Lord InuTaisho had made it clear we needed to be together at all costs. I glanced back and sighed, more than glad that Kagome and Inuyasha were nearly inside the building. I made my way to a vacant corner of the large foyer, noticing that I was one of the only people still lingering in the large first room.

"Can I help you find something?" The male voice said right next to me, causing me to jump slightly in alarm before I turned to the man that was apparently next to me. He was tall, with long black hair, pale skin and a slightly sinister expression on his face. Although he was quite handsome and the suit he wore aided in his looks, I took a cautious step to the side, placing a few feet in-between us. Something about him made me flesh crawl and a shiver raced down my spine in warning. Something about him wasn't quite right, even if I couldn't put my finger on it. The man stepped closer, invading my personal space and he smiled, almost pleased that he made me feel uncomfortable. He stared at me expectantly, obviously waiting for a reply.

"Oh, um... No, I'm alright. Thank you." I made a move to step back, careful to keep my long train out of my way as I moved. I couldn't explain why, but all I wanted to do was keep my distance from the being before me. I wasn't sure how I knew, considering he looked human, but there was something demonic about him. Maybe he was a half demon like Inuyasha? Although Inuyasha didn't have this sort of... aura around him that this man did. Almost an evil presence, if I could call it that.

"Nonsense." The man's arm gripped my elbow, drawing me almost into his embrace. When I kept my feet planted firmly on the floor the man stepped up to me, trying to create as little distance between us as possible. I looked side to side, hoping there was someone in the room who could help me out. There was no one else in the room but us. "Surely someone as enchanting as yourself wouldn't prefer to remain alone?"

"I'm actually here with someone." I tugged my elbow slightly, hoping he would loosen his grip and step away from me. I didn't want to cause a scene and more importantly I didn't want to embarrass Sesshomaru if someone was merely trying to be polite. Didn't rich men enjoy leading women around by the elbow? Probably, because it practically screamed of dominance. I wanted to cringe from either the display of dominance or the hands that kept moving inappropriately on my arms, or most likely both.

"Oh?" Instead I found his other hand being placed along the exposed lower part of my back, pulling me closer to his body. His hands were like ice and my breath caught, feeling more than a little startled. I laid my hands on his chest and pushed against him, forcing as much distance as I could. "I think you need to keep your hands to yourself, sir." I wanted to slap the creep in the face, instead I used one of my hands to remove his hand from my back. He was making my skin crawl.

"Who would be so unwise to leave such a treasure behind in a building full of demons?"

"I think it's time for you to let her go, Naraku." Inuyasha sneered the words, appearing next to us and then in-between that Naraku guy and myself, making sure the demon's hands were away from me. Kagome walked hurriedly over to our little 'group', standing slightly in front of me as if she could protect me from the person in front of us.

"Ah, Inuyasha. I see you have such great taste in women, but surely you wouldn't mind sharing one just for this evening?" Naraku's eyes danced with glee as he moved his head to stare past Inuyasha, his eyes raking over my body before he smiled back at Inuyasha, his smile all teeth. "The lovely lady would be such exquisite company." I shuddered.

"You'll have to ask Sesshomaru if he minds you sharing another moment with his fiancé, not me."

Naraku stiffened as I sucked in a breath. Sesshomaru appeared out of nowhere behind Naraku, his face a careful mask of indifference. Usually if he appeared out of nowhere it was after a ball of light acknowledge his arrival, yet this time there was barely a whisper of movement before he was standing behind the creepy man I'd just met, staring him down as if a look alone could squish him into the floor.

"What is the meaning of this, Naraku?" Sesshomaru's words were drawn out evenly, almost as if he could care less what was happening, but I was starting to know him a bit better and I had a feeling he was anything but indifferent. Kagome gripped my arm, clearly as alarmed as I was at the events unfolding before us.

Naraku turned and backed up a few steps, making sure the brothers both remained in his line of sight. "I was merely wondering why you left your fiancé unattended in such a location. Although, I suppose I'm more curious as to when you gained a fiancé. It seems like only yesterday you were wining and dining my sister, Kagura." Kagura was his sister? Bleh, no wonder I could barely stomach the sight of him.

I nearly rolled my eyes. Was this Naraku guy seriously trying to intimidate me by mentioning his scheming sister? It would take more than that creep to get me to believe Sesshomaru had any interest in his sister.

"None of it is your concern, half breed." My eyes widened even as Kagome's mouth dropped open. Lord Sesshomaru said the words 'half breed' with such contempt I was surprised the heat of it didn't melt Naraku's eyebrows right off of his face. I let go of Kagome's arm and walked over to Sesshomaru, careful to keep a respectable distance from Naraku. I didn't want his hands to come anywhere near me or my body again. I reached for Sesshomaru, sighing in relief when my arm wrapped along his forearm, our fingers nearly touching.

I didn't miss the look on Naraku's face when my hand grabbed ahold of Sesshomaru's, entwining our fingers together. His eyes narrowed and his upper lip lifted as if in a snarl. What was wrong with this creep?

"Lord Sesshomaru, should we meet with your father? I think the party has already started and I'm eager to join the festivities." _And get the hell away from that whole weird situation, _I thought to myself.

Lord Sesshomaru looked down at me for a moment, his eyes softening slightly before they hardened as he looked back at Naraku. Without another word, Sesshomaru turned back to the ballroom, his clawed hand gripping mine gently before he led me away from the group and into the room.

I couldn't help my sigh of relief at Lord Sesshomaru's arrival, but for some strange reason I felt eyes glaring at my back as I walked away.

* * *

We sat at a table towards the front of the ballroom, facing the stage and podium that had obviously been set up for the occasion. The stage was large and well decorated, making the plaques on one of the tables look quite lovely. Our table, as all the others in the ballroom, was large and sat our entire group, and luckily, it was just us at the spacious table. I wasn't sure how I would handle small talk with a bunch of strangers throughout the evening, especially considering how the evening had already started. Lord Sesshomaru hadn't said a word about the Naraku incident, but he seemed rattled. As in, when he thought no one was looking his cold stare found the back of Naraku's head and remained there. Kind of like a beast stalking its prey. I was more than thrilled Sesshomaru hadn't witnessed that Naraku guy grab ahold of me, otherwise I wasn't sure what could have happened. I had a strange feeling it might have involved bloodshed. I also knew that I needed to thank Inuyasha as soon as I had a moment out of Sesshomaru's earshot.

The rest of the tables were scattered around the giant room, leaving the dance floor and the orchestra on the other side of the room. A few couples were on the floor, swaying happily back and forth, although most of the occupants were seated, more than likely waiting to eat and drink a few glasses of wine before hitting the dance floor.

"So what exactly is this ball for?" Kagome asked Lord InuTaisho, expecting a more straightforward answer from him as opposed to Inuyasha.

"Some of the most prestigious companies in all of Japan gather once a year for an awards banquet of sorts." Which would explain the plaques scattered around the table on the stage.

"Do you think you'll win a few awards?" Inuyasha snorted at her question.

"Come on Kagome, you do realize we own the most amount of companies throughout Japan. Of course we're going to win most of them, although I don't think any of us really care about whatever awards we might win."

"Well, either way, I think it's exciting." Kagome retorted, turning her nose up at Inuyasha and looking my way. "Would you care to accompany me to the ladies' room?" My back stiffened at her words.

_Get up and leave the safety of the table? Was she out of her mind?_ I had barely made it through the front door without some creeper trying to grope me and she wanted me to leave the safe haven of demons? Then again, surely that Naraku character would leave me alone now that he knew who I had come to the ball with. Lord Sesshomaru wasn't known for his kind behavior, especially towards those he felt were inferior.

"Sure." I stood from the table, a little shocked when Lord Sesshomaru immediately stood as well, helping me from the table and placing my hand in the crook of his elbow. The breath of relief I felt was almost instantaneous, although I hadn't actually expected Lord Sesshomaru to escort us to the restroom.

Inuyasha stood as well, taking Kagome's hand in his as we followed them from the table and out to the main lobby, Lord Sesshomaru and I following slightly behind.

"Is everything alright, Rin?" Lord Sesshomaru's low voice had me looking up at the beautiful creature before me, still not quite believing that someone so amazing was in my life. It was funny, I couldn't remember when I started thinking of him as my anything, but after the incident with Naraku, I was extremely glad he was my protector, fiancé, and hopefully one day my lover and spouse. I didn't think I'd ever felt as safe as I did when I was with him.

"Yes," I answered, feeling more comfortable with him next to me than I had since we'd arrived. I had a feeling as long as he was with me then I would be perfectly fine. Well, more than fine. You get what I mean.

I let go of his hand reluctantly and followed Kagome through the door and to the women's bathroom. Kagome checked her reflection in the mirror, causing me to do the same since we weren't talking and I didn't want to awkwardly stare at her as she spruced up. I was a bit startled by my appearance, forgetting for a moment that I'd been wearing makeup and tucked into the most revealing/seductive/gorgeous gown I'd ever seen in my entire life.

I looked goooood.

"Are you alright?" Kagome finally asked, making sure to keep her gaze in the mirror and not on me. She reached into her clutch, pulling out a tube of lipstick and applying another coat to her lips, careful to keep the coat from smearing as it dried.

"I'm okay," I told her, although I just wanted the moment with that Naraku guy out of my mind. There was something just wrong about him. Plus, tonight was supposed to be fun and changing tide in my relationship with Sesshomaru, hopefully even ending the evening with a kiss and a promise of another date. Or to Sesshomaru, an actual date. Fingers crossed this dress helped me out on that front.

"That guy creeped me out. I'm really glad Inuyasha spotted you, otherwise we would have walked right past you. Who knows what would have happened then?" Kagome shuddered, taking a piece of a paper towel and moving it under the bottom row of her lashes, removing any excess eye liner.

"Probably a swift kick to the balls," I half-joked. Kagome turned from the mirror and gripped my hands in hers, staring at me intently.

"I want you to stay away from that guy. I didn't like the way he looked at you. Gave me a bad feeling." I'd known Kagome all my life, and just like when she knew when someone was lying, she definitely knew when someone was up to no good. It was just something she said she'd always felt about certain people or situations, and after years of her being right, I wasn't about to doubt her now.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought their was something off about him. You felt it too?" I whispered to her, hoping the demons wouldn't be eavesdropping on our conversation. Lord Sesshomaru was too much of a gentleman for that... At least I thought so. I'd only known him for a few weeks, so it wasn't like I knew everything about him or his personality. For all I knew he could be listening in for a possible threat to us. THAT wouldn't surprise me.

Kagome shuddered slightly, goosebumps raising on her arms before she spoke. "Yeah, I felt it. It felt evil." I rolled my eyes, but Kagome pulled my arms, causing me to look back at her. "I'm not joking. There was something sinister about him, although I don't know what. Don't go anywhere without Sesshomaru for the rest of the night, okay?"

I chill went down my spine, but I nodded my head, knowing when to heed a warning. "Of course, Kagome. I won't let Sesshomaru out of my sight, I promise." I smiled happily at her before tugging her towards the bathroom door. "Now, if that's all the ominous warnings for the evening and you don't actually need to use the bathroom, I really want to get back to my date." I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively before pulling open the door, making sure the skirt of my dress didn't get caught on anything.

* * *

Over an hour later and the party was in full swing. We'd been served food and wine, probably a glass too many if I was honest with myself, and they were currently announcing some of the awards for the evening. I couldn't remember what all the awards had been for, but the Taisho men had a pretty little stack of plaques on the table. No wonder we'd been given our own table, we needed the extra space for all the awards.

After the last of the awards were given out the speaker introduced the Taisho men, much to mine and Kagome's surprise, and they all stood and made their way to the stage. We clapped diligently along with the rest of the people in the audience.

Lord Inu Taisho grabbed the microphone on the stand, smiling politely into the crowd.

"I'm sure there were a few more awards for us somewhere on that table," Inu Taisho joked. The audience laughed appropriately. "Now, generally before we begin the partying for the evening, I or one of my sons who host the event close off the ceremony by saying a few words about where we hope the company will be by the next year and all the great things we have to come for the company. However, we have something far more special to share this evening and before it makes it to the tabloids, we prefer to spread it among our friends and colleagues as well as a few distinguished journalists." Lord InuTaisho cleared his throat before speaking casually into the mic. "Ladies, would you do us the honors of joining us on stage?" Kagome and I looked at one another. I thought I was going to faint. Go on stage in front of all those people?

Then I paused. When did I ever get stage fright? Weird.

Kagome and I remained seated, unsure what to do.

"I think our lovely ladies are being rather bashful this evening." More laughter. "How about a round of applause to coax these beauties on stage?" At his words uproarious applause startled me out of my chair, almost giving me a heart attack. Kagome stood more slowly (gracefully), and led the way to the stage, gripping my hand tightly in her own as she made her way up the staircase. I grabbed the skirt of my gown, lifting it slightly over my heels to keep from tripping up the stairs. Wouldn't that be a great way to meet everyone? Face planting on stage?

My feet landed on the stage with a soft click of the heel and I followed Kagome's example and stood next to Sesshomaru while she stood next to Inuyasha. My heart beat frantically in my chest and I thought I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

I understood the need to tell others of our engagements, I just hadn't expected it to be on stage in front of the entire ballroom full of extremely important demons and humans. What if someone threw something at us? Okay, I doubted it would happen while I was next to Sesshomaru (and hopefully it would never happen again), but the fear was still fresh in my mind.

"It is my pleasure to announce that these two lovely ladies will be joining our family. May I introduce my eldest son Lord Sesshomaru and his soon to be wife, Rin Higurashi and my son Lord Inuyasha with his fiancé Kagome Higurashi." There was a moment of stunned silence before the applause began, a bit subdued but given nonetheless. I exhaled slowly, my hands wringing together nervously. "It has been a few hundred years since the marriage of myself and my wife Izayoi and I know I am looking forward to having a few new members added into this family. I know with your love and support, our family and company will continue to thrive and prosper in the years to come. Thank you all for listening and let's get this party started, shall we?" He motioned towards the orchestra who diligently began another song, something upbeat.

Lord Sesshomaru made his way to the stage stairs, reaching back to clasp my hand, helping me down the steps, no doubt expecting me to tumble down the steps like I had done back at the manor. I sucked in a breath at the contact. If I wasn't mistaken, this was the first time he was willingly taking my hand in public, and possibly at all, and it felt amazing. I didn't feel like a secret anymore and it was a bit extraordinary.

"That was incredibly awkward," I whispered to Lord Sesshomaru, still holding his hand in mine as we walked back to our table. Our fingers entwined, the pad of his thumb running over the pulse in my wrist, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"Hn." Sesshomaru replied, obviously agreeing with me. Or something. He released my hand, driving the warmth from it in an instant. He moved ahead of me, pulling back my chair and helping me into my seat before taking his own next to me.

"That was exciting!" Kagome gushed as she sat down, not bothering to wait for Inuyasha to guide her to her chair.

"Nerve wracking, maybe." I replied.

"Rin," Lord Inu Taisho called from beside me and Lord Sesshomaru. "Would you care to dance, young lady?" I blushed and smiled. I took his hand, letting him pull me from my seat, leaving my companions at the table as Lord Inu led me to the dance floor.

The music the orchestra played was light and simple enough to keep me from stumbling over my feet as we danced.

Lord Inu Taisho clasped my hand in his, holding it out slightly to the side to lead us across the dance floor. His other hand rested on my hip, careful to remain on the clothing of my gown and not on my skin, which I was grateful for.

"I'm sorry to have distressed you. I didn't think to mention exactly how we would be spreading the news of the engagements."

"It's fine," I said lightly, trying to wave away the apology.

"I know you had a run-in with Naraku." I looked at him curiously. When did we mention the Naraku incident at the table? "I could smell him on you when you arrived at the table. A bit of a rotten odor. He's one of our competitors, although he is a fellow businessman. Are you alright?" I smelled like Naraku? Great. The thought nearly had me running out of the ballroom and back to the manor to take about 10 showers and 4 baths just to get the stench off of me.

I looked around, making sure Sesshomaru was still back at the table. Currently our table was surrounded by plenty of people, most giving hearty handshakes to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, no doubt about the engagements. I laughed at that, my mood lifting slightly before looking back at Lord Inu to answer his question.

"He made me uncomfortable. He grabbed my arm and wouldn't let it go until Inuyasha came in and stepped in between us." Lord Inu's eyes darkened. "Please don't say anything to Lord Sesshomaru. I don't think he'd be upset, but I don't want to be wrong and anger him over nothing. The problem was avoided and that's all that matters, isn't it?"

Lord Inu spun me around before dragging me back to him, leading me through another dance sequence.

"I will remain silent on the issue, only because I fear my son's response to such behavior. However, if that man makes you feel uncomfortable again, you will inform Sesshomaru at once. Are we understood?"

I nodded my head slowly, feeling slightly scolded.

"Now, I trust you'll enjoy the rest of your evening? I'll need to leave soon to pick my wife up from the private runway when she returns in a few hours."

"Lady Izayoi is coming home?" It would be exciting to meet the Lady of the West.

"Indeed she is, child." Lord Inu stopped dancing abruptly, even though the orchestra continued to play the current song. I cast a curious glance in his direction, unsure of what was happening when he let go of my hands, allowing his own to drop to his sides. Lord Inu Taisho smiled at me. "I believe someone else would enjoy the pleasure of your company." He smiled to someone behind me, causing me to turn around, arms dangling uselessly at my sides.

Lord Sesshomaru stood close to me, looking especially dashing in his black tuxedo, his silver locks framing his face perfectly even if he kept his usual blank expression on his face as our eyes locked. I looked back at the table, still full of people and then to him, smiling happily. "Have you come to avoid the hoards of people, my Lord?" Lord Inu disappeared into the background, out of my mind as soon as he left my line of sight.

"It is possible." Lord Sesshomaru stated. We stared at one another a few more seconds, neither of us making the first move as other couples danced around us, some casting curious glances our way.

"Would you like to dance?" I asked him, hoping his answer would be yes. I'd been waiting for an excuse to hold him to me all evening, and I wasn't going to squander it now. Not if I could help it.

Without waiting for his reply, I stepped forward and grabbed his hands, pulling him to me slowly. He released one of our hands, his free clawed hand spanning along the smooth skin of my lower back, gently tugging me to him until our bodies were pressed together, the thin material of my gown leaving my body flush against his. I felt my body heat as he stared down at me a moment longer before he started moving, gliding our bodies smoothly around the dance floor.

The music changed to a slow melody, making me giddy with excitement. I was going to spend an entire song in Sesshomaru's arms! I would hopefully also replace that cruddy scent with the smell of Sesshomaru, all forest and spices. The thought nearly had me melting into a puddle on the floor.

"I didn't expect you to dance," I said an instant before he spun me around slowly, the train of my gown twirling around before Sesshomaru pulled me back into his arms. His hand caressed my back, running slowly up and down my spine as we swayed to the music being played for us. The movement was unexpected but it was sensual. I didn't want it to stop. "Were you surprised at your dad announcing our engagement on stage?"

"Yes."

"You didn't seem surprised. Maybe you get engaged more than once every few centuries." I joked, trying to keep my voice steady even as it quivered under Lord Sesshomaru's touch. His hand running up and down my back was causing me to flush and to breathe a bit deeper as we swayed together.

Lord Sesshomaru bent down, his cheek pressed to mine as he spoke into my ear. "I can hear your heart beating rapidly." His breath caressed along my skin, causing a shiver to move through my spine, which his hand no doubt felt. His hand tightened along my back, holding me infinitely closer as our bodies swayed back and forth, his chin resting comfortably on the top of my head.

I closed my eyes, letting my head and free hand rest against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as we moved. The steps were small and slow, lulling me into an almost dreamlike state. I was warm and cozy and safe, all the perfect conditions a woman could have when a man held her in his arms. At least that was my own opinion.

The song ended too soon and we broke apart slowly, Lord Sesshomaru's hand locking around mine as he led us both off the dance floor. I expected us to head back to the table, but instead we made our way out of the ballroom and into the foyer. Moving at a pace I was growing used to, Lord Sesshomaru led me down a hallway I hadn't noticed before and up a spiral staircase that was cut off from the main staircase located in the foyer.

Where were we heading?

We reached the end of the staircase, Lord Sesshomaru leading me down a dark hallway that had obviously been abandoned for the event happening that evening. Where on earth were we going?

I opened my mouth to speak as we turned the corner and went through a set of double doors, and quickly shut it again as I realized where we were.

I looked around, amazed to find a type of garden inside the building. The room was made completely of glass, which made it a greenhouse, allowing light in daily to keep the flowers alive. There was even a concrete walkway among the grass. Flowerbeds were scattered along the room, all housing different types of exotic flowers, some I'd never even seen before.

Lord Sesshomaru kept walking until we reached a bench that was placed right next to a fountain that practically glowed in the moonlight that was shining above our heads. Lord Sesshomaru turned towards me, his features seemingly enhanced by the moonlight. Everything about him was more enchanting than it normally was, the affect of it stealing my breath as soon as our eyes met.

"Do you find it adequate?" He asked me, his hands slowly moving up to cup my face. My eyes softened when his hands touched my skin, gently drawing me closer to him. His golden eyes stared into mine, almost like melted pools of gold, his expression more intense than I'd ever seen it before.

"I think it's very beautiful, don't you?"

Lord Sesshomaru remained silent, staring down at me from his superior height. It was almost difficult to stare up at him because I was standing pretty close and he was so tall, even when I had heels on. I smiled at his silence, knowing he wasn't necessarily a demon of many words unless they were words he considered important.

"Rin." Sesshomaru said my name as a caress, almost as if he didn't think I was actually there. His eyelids lowered slightly, giving him a slumberous and slightly seductive look. My mouth dried in startled anticipation. Had a man ever looked at me like that before? If they had then it was nothing compared to the demon looking down at me now.

"Yes, my Lord?"

Lord Sesshomaru drew me into the warmth of his body, his hands cupping the back of my neck as he bent his head towards mine. He seemed to move in slow motion, yet everything seemed to move too fast, all at once.

Lord Sesshomaru pressed his lips tenderly against mine, his eyes shutting a moment before I closed my own. _Holy crap, he kissed me!_

A sound like a growl escaped his throat and he released the back of my neck, his hands wrapping around the bare skin of my back and pressing me as close to him as I could possibly get.

I brought my hands to his chest, my fingers wrapping around the lapels of his jacket, holding him to me as ours lips parted and his tongue brushed against mine. A shiver went down my spine at the contact and I let go of his jacket, letting my hands work their way into his silky hair and bringing him closer to me. We pressed against each other roughly, almost as if we could sink into each other's skin if we tried hard enough. Feeling brazen, I bit down on his bottom lip, groaning a bit when he growled at me and ran his hands down my back, cupping my rear and kneading the flesh there.

We broke the kiss almost at the same time. I was breathing heavily and well... Sesshomaru looked slightly out of breath, but mostly fine for a demon who had just been making out with me. I blushed, knowing he saw it when he bent down and kissed me again, this time a quick peck on the lips before he wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled his face into my neck, inhaling my scent into his lungs._  
_

I prayed he didn't smell anything even kind of like Naraku on my skin and instead it would be lavender mixed with the forest. A combination of our scents. Wouldn't that be nice?

I let him hold me to him for a few minutes, thinking our silent embrace should be awkward after awhile, but it was warm and inviting and comforting. What was it about this demon?

"We should probably head back to the party before people start to suspect a scandal. Well, another scandal. Can't have you looking bad to the tabloids, now can we?" I joked lightly, not wanting the moment to end but knowing we couldn't stay hidden in this secret garden forever.

"Come." Lord Sesshomaru held my hand in his, leading me away from our private garden and back towards the party.

* * *

"Wasn't it such a wonderful evening?" Kagome collapsed onto her bed, sighing happily before sitting up and staring at me. She grinned, reaching over and poking my shoulder. "You and Sesshomaru disappeared for a little while. Where did you two go?"

I blushed, sure that my face was practically bright red, getting hotter as the seconds ticked by.

"Uh." My voice cracked and I cleared my throat. "We may or may not have just gotten some alone time. You know, we just wanted to get away from the party for a few minutes."

"You were gone for half an hour! Come on, spill! I won't leave you alone until you tell me everything!"

"What?! I'm not going to tell you everything. It was private." I folded my arms and looked away, not wanting to crack under the pressure Kagome was supplying. My cousin huffed, using her elbows to hold her upper body up from the bed.

"You didn't have sex with him did you?" My mouth dropped open and I shrieked at her, shoving her back down onto the bed as she laughed at me.

"You are so mean! You think I was going to have sex for the first time during a party? I'm not 17!" Kagome sat up again. "Besides, having sex during a party is kind of lame, don't you think?" This time Kagome cleared her throat, her face growing a dull shade of red to contrast with her vivid red dress. "Oh my gods, you had sex with Inuyasha during the party?! You're such a horn dog, Kagome!" I laughed happily, still reeling from the kisses I'd received earlier.

"At least tell me some of what happened, Rin! You're practically glowing. If I didn't know any better I'd think you were in love with him." I blushed again, looking down at the hands folded in my lap.

"He took me into this greenhouse type room and he kissed me, and that's all you need to know!" I gushed quickly, almost afraid that if I said the words aloud they would disappear from my mind before I could keep them with me.

"Ooh!" Kagome shrieked, jumping from the bed and kicking off her shoes before jumping around the room, squealing in delight. "I was hoping you would say something like that! I knew it! I knew he wouldn't be able to think straight with you in that dress! And to think, the night started off so terribly. I'm glad it ended on a good note."

"Me too," I agreed, standing from her bed also, feeling more tired than I had in days. "I think I'm going to head to bed. Maybe take a shower. Who knows."

"Okay, well if you can't go to sleep just holler at me and I'll come hang out. Since Lord InuTaisho took his wife to some fancy hotel for the evening we don't need to worry about being quiet." She bit her lip. "Well, I might end up at Inuyasha's home. He said if I was up for it he would show me around."

"Oh that's right, I'd completely forgotten he wasn't coming back tonight. Which stinks, because I really want to meet her! I'm sure you do too, considering she's Inuyasha's mother."

"I'm kind of nervous actually, but I'm sure it'll be fine. I've only heard lovely things about her, so I'm certain she's wonderful."

I nodded my agreement, reaching her bedroom door and leaving through it, shutting it softly behind me as I headed across the hall and into my own bedroom.

I closed my bedroom door, leaning up against it on a sigh, smiling to myself. I pressed my fingers to my lips, almost as if I could still feel Sesshomaru's lips pressed to mine. I didn't think I would ever forget the feel of his soft, velvet lips touching my skin.

I kicked off my heels, my feet practically wailing in gratitude. I bent over and picked up the heels, taking them over to my closet and setting them in their designated place. I gently removed the dress, giving it extra care as I hung it in a separate area of the closet, intent on having it dry cleaned a few days from now.

* * *

After a quick shower I toweled off in the bathroom, removing a little bit of excess mascara that was under my eyes before slipping on a thin tank top, silky pajama shorts and a blood red silk kimono robe. I dried my hair a bit with the towel before placing it in a side braid, tying it off when the braid ended down past my chest.

I entered the bedroom, a bit surprised to find the lights off, the bathroom the only thing illuminating my room.

Immediately I felt uneasy, uncertain what the issue was. I didn't remember turning off the light in the main room, but obviously I'd done so or else the lights would still be on, right? I was probably a lot more tired than I'd given myself credit for earlier. Hell, maybe each of the lights had burned out. At the same time. Or something. It wasn't the weirdest thing that had happened to me in my entire life.

I stepped into the room, reaching a wall with the light switch, pressing down until I heard the click of the light switch. When nothing happened I sighed in relief. So the light had burned out. That made sense. I left the bathroom door open, the light shining into a portion of the room, leaving the rest covered in darkness. I shivered, probably from the cool air on my still damp skin, but it felt like something was in the room with me. I looked around, still not seeing anything. I wrapped the kimono tightly around me, rushing over to the clutch that should have been on the vanity desk a few feet from the bedroom door. I made it just in time for the bathroom door to slam shut, making me jump at the wood slamming into the door frame.

"Kagome, if this is you, it's not funny." As I talked I grabbed the clutch, slowly pulling open the bag and reaching inside, pulling out my cellphone. I unlocked the phone, walking steadily towards the bedroom door as I hit the first number on my speed dial.

A deep, dark chuckle came from my right and I shined my phone screen in that direction even as my other hand reached the door handle, turning it and jerking it open, light shining in from the hallway.

I gasped and stepped out into the hallway, my steps slow and steady as I stared at the person only a few feet from me. My phone finally made the call, connecting halfway through the first ring.

"Rin." Sesshomaru's voice sounded on the other end. A deep snarl came from my bedroom as Naraku stepped forward, his face twisted into an ugly snarl. I guessed he realized what I'd been up to.

"Sessho-" Naraku lunged for me, his features contorted into a mask of rage. I screamed, throwing my phone at the half demon and fleeing, barely making it a few steps before rough hands grabbed me around the waist and threw me backward. I landed with a thump against a nearby wall, my head smacking harshly against the thick wood.

"Kagome," I called out, the sound barely a whisper as it escaped past my lips.

"Your precious Kagome is long gone. No doubt whoring around with that pathetic Inuyasha," Naraku spit the name out at me. He reached down, grabbed my neck and dragging me up the wall until my feet dangled a few feet from the ground. I coughed, scratching at his hands as the breath left my lungs. "You think you can just entice me and then find yourself in another's arms? YOU ARE MINE!" The hand tightened on my neck, almost crushing the bones there. I had to do something, anything.

My foot moved as quickly as I could make it, connecting sharply with Naraku's crotch. The demon sucked in a breath and dropped me, my feet barely touching the ground before I sailed past him. I don't know what made me think I could outrun a demon, even a half demon, but I wailed in terror as he grabbed my shoulder, his fingers digging into my skin and yanking me back, ripping the kimono and tank top as he did so.

I collapsed into a heap on the floor, my kimono fanned out around me, exposing my shoulders and neck. I looked up, expecting to find the psychotic demon charging at me. Instead the dimly lit hallway was empty. I sucked in a breath, tears falling down my cheeks as I sat up as quickly as I could manage, looking behind me. No one was there. I stood slowly, unsure of what was going on when a hand grabbed my bruised shoulder.

I screamed, yanking my shoulder back and turning to face Naraku, only to find Lord Sesshomaru staring back at me with concern. I threw myself at him, my legs wrapping around his waist and my hands circling his shoulders, forcing him to circle my hips with one of his hands.

My entire body shook as I clutched on to him tightly, afraid if I let go then Naraku would come back. "Naraku was in my bedroom." The words came out thick behind my tears. Sesshomaru's shoulders stiffened.

"I don't detect his scent." His words were harsh as he clutched me tightly to him.

"He was in there. And then I tried to get away and he grabbed me. I-I-I fought him to get away but I don't know where he went. Oh gods, I didn't see anything. He was just gone. How can he just disappear?"

"Rin. You need to get down. I'll search the premises."

I released my limbs from his body, sinking back down to my feet and slightly away from him. Lord Sesshomaru looked down, his eyes turning blood red as he stared the bruised skin that was already darkening my shoulder and neck. I looked down at myself, noticing that the tear on my tank top went further than I though, exposing most of the side of my breast. I wrapped the torn kimono around me, shivering uncontrollably.

"Please let me come with you. I don't think I can be by myself while you look around."

"Come." Sesshomaru stepped into my bedroom, inhaling deeply. "I smell nothing." I lingered in the lit hallway, afraid to head back into my dark room.

"I don't know why you can't smell him, but he was definitely here."

"Interesting." The words came out low and menacing, almost making me step back with the intensity of his growing hatred. Sesshomaru searched the bathroom and closet before coming back into the hallway, his eyes still blood red. His markings were more defined on his face, his jaw looking slightly longer than it had before.

"He said that Kagome was with Inuyasha. You don't think he was lying, do you?"

Sesshomaru grabbed into his pocket, pulling out a slim phone and dialing it before handing it to me.

The phone clicked on. "Listen, Sesshomaru, I'm kind of busy right now." Kagome giggled in the background.

"Kagome's safe with you?" I breathed the words out.

"Rin? Yeah, she's right here. What's wrong?" His tone was concerned and I almost started crying again, my eyes stinging with a fresh wave of tears.

"Naraku was here."

"Oh shit. Hang on, Kagome and I will be there as soon as we can." The phone went dead a moment later. I looked up at Sesshomaru, whose features were slowly returning to normal the more he stared at me. I breathed in deeply, hoping to get some of my emotions under control before Inuyasha and Kagome arrived. I stepped to Sesshomaru, placing my hand in his and leaning back against a wall, wincing when my head made contact. With a free hand I rubbed the sore spot, glad there wasn't a cut on it. In fact, I was feeling surprisingly lucky, all things considered.

"I think you scared Naraku off." Sesshomaru's upper lip lifted in a snarl.

"He will die." His voice was guttural, more beast than man and his eyes flashed red once again, his clawed hands extending beneath my fingers. I let go quickly, unsure of what was going on with him.

"Rin!" Kagome shouted from down the hall, Inuyasha carrying her on his back as he ran quickly toward us. The couple paused a second before they reached us, Inuyasha reaching down and pulling Kagome down and next to him.

"We searched outside before we came in. I didn't smell Naraku anywhere, but I still searched the property. There is nothing there. There wasn't any sign of him on the first floor or on the second. If he's still in here then he's on this floor."

"No. The only heartbeats in the manor belong to the four of us."

"I don't sense anything sinister either. I think he's gone." Kagome got a good look at me, rushing to my side and pulling me into her arms, ignoring the warning look Sesshomaru gave her. "Oh, Rin! You're all bruised," Kagome cried into my good shoulder and I patted her back, sliding back into the role of protector as opposed to victim.

"If he's not in here then where did he go?"

"Feh. The coward probably fled for his worthless life."

I sure hoped he was right.

* * *

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha searched every room in the manor, leaving Kagome and I alone in her bedroom, clutching at each other like a couple of scaredy cats until the demons came back for us.

Sesshomaru took me back into my bedroom, the lights fixed and shining brightly throughout the room. I looked around, expecting to see Naraku charging at me like he had earlier, but my room was peaceful, if a bit somber.

"I should probably get some sleep."

I turned back to Sesshomaru, smiling softly at him. "Would it be alright if you stayed with me? I'm kind of afraid to be by myself in here and I'd feel better knowing you'd be here to kick his ass if he pulled another stunt like that." Or kill him. I didn't think I would mind Sesshomaru killing him. I should have been ashamed of my thoughts, but as my neck throbbed dangerously, it was hard to keep all the negative thoughts out of my head. I'd been attacked senselessly and I didn't think I would care if Sesshomaru killed Naraku.

"Hn." I made my way to my closet, wincing slightly as I removed the kimono and tank top, not bothering to shut Sesshomaru out as I did so. I didn't want a door separating us, not after the night I'd had. I grabbed another silk tank top, wincing again as it slid over my tender shoulder. I turned, surprised to find Sesshomaru at the entrance of the walk in closet, watching me change.

I blushed slightly, although I was a bit too exhausted and shell shocked to be truly aware of the fact that Sesshomaru had been blatantly staring at my bare back. Why was he so fascinated with it? It was something to think about another day, when I had less to worry about.

Back in the bedroom I pulled the sheets and comforter back sliding into the bed as painlessly as possible. Sesshomaru stood off to the side, still in his slacks and white button up shirt from the ball. "There's plenty of room up here if you want to join me." I patted beside me on the bed before turning on the lamp on the nightstand. Sesshomaru turned off the bedroom light afterward. Slowly he pulled off his dress shoes, setting them out of his way and unbuttoned his shirt, removing it and draping it over the chair at the vanity. I wanted to whistle lowly when I saw his upper chest and back, but I refrained, instead staring blatantly at his sculpted back as he faced away from me. I think I might have even drooled slightly and I definitely drooled a little when he turned around, his abs silhouetted by the light at my nightstand, his arms muscular and sleek all at once. His body was lean but muscular and he had two sets magenta stripes on his forearms and two on his upper arms, even two long vertical stripes that started from his pectorals and reached across his back, touching each of his shoulder blades. I'd never seen anything like it before.

Not wasting another moment, Sesshomaru sat on the bed, his back leaned against the headboard as he sat on top of the covers, clearly giving me some space. I kept the light on, afraid to be in the dark and turned towards Sesshomaru, one arm wrapping around his waist and my head resting on his lower abs, right next to his hip.

"Is this alright?"

"Hn."

"Thank you for coming when I called. I don't know what might have happened if you hadn't been here." A strong arm wrapped around my side, his hand resting leisurely on my hip.

"Rest, Rin. This Sesshomaru will protect you."

I nodded my head and closed my eyes, dozing off almost instantly.

* * *

**Well, this was by far the longest chapter I've ever had on one of my fanfics, so I hope you guys are happy! Hopefully I'll be able to write another chapter in the upcoming weeks, but don't be surprised if it's not until Nov. 15th or the week after that. Please leave me some reviews!**

**Much love,**

**Mo**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, thank you for being so patient and waiting for this update! Unfortunately we aren't going to be seeing a lot of RinxSessh time this chapter, but it works with the ****story so don't be disappointed we won't get much action this chapter!**

**Please leave a review or follow/favorite the story if you're enjoying it!**

* * *

The next morning when I woke up, I was alone. Sesshomaru was no where to be found. I sighed unhappily, more than aware that he'd stayed with me until about an hour before and then left silently, going who knew where.

I sat up in the bed slowly, my bruised body aching in protest of the movements. I slid from the bed and walked over to the vanity, wincing when I saw the dark bruises that spanned from the right side of my neck to my shoulder and even a bruise the size of a hand along my wrist. I couldn't even remember him grabbing me by the wrist, but if the bruise was there then I was sure it had happened also. My head felt achy and dull, almost as if I was getting a fever. I lifted my hand and touched along the bruise by my shoulder, expecting to feel smooth skin and instead touching a cut I hadn't noticed.

My brow furrowed in the mirror as I stepped forward, careful to keep a finger pressed on the wound so I could see it in the mirror. When I was close enough to the mirror, I let my hand drop away from my shoulder, staring intently at the spot I'd been touching. There wasn't anything there. Nothing besides the bruise, anyway. I kept looking in the mirror as I brought my hand back up, moving my fingertips along the column of skin until I touched the cut again. It wasn't very deep and it wasn't bleeding, but there was a definite tear in my skin. I got as close to the mirror as I could, staring intently back at my reflected shoulder in the mirror, but there was no cut showing back at me. How weird was that?

I grabbed a change of clothes from the walk in closet before entering the bathroom, disrobing and turning on the shower. When the water was hot enough I stepped inside, grateful to be washing the hard touch of Naraku from my body, even though I would also be washing off Sesshomaru's delicious smell. I would just have to wrap my arms around him again at some point to get the smell back on my body. I might even be forced into sharing a few kisses to accomplish my task. That was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

I soaped up the loofa, running it over the rest of my body before moving it to my wounded shoulder. The loofa slid along my skin, lathering it with soap. I expected to feel a sting from the cut when the soap slid along it, but there wasn't anything at all. What on Earth was going on?

I rinsed off, turning off the shower and stepping from it. Grabbing the nearest towel, I dried myself leisurely, careful to run the towel slowly over the bruised areas of my body and to not linger on my skin. Next I brushed my teeth and changed into the jeans and matching panty and bra set I'd grabbed from my closet. I looked around, a bit surprised that I'd forgotten to grab a sweater before stepping into my bedroom, smiling in delight when Sesshomaru was standing in the middle of it, looking as if he'd been standing there for hours. Our eyes met a moment before his own eyes darkened at my lack of clothing, flashing a brilliant shade of red before he closed them and opened them a second later, his golden eyes looking back at me. He was wearing the most comfortable outfit I'd seen him in with a pair of black slacks and a deep purple sweater, almost black in its coloring.

"Good morning," I said happily, my mood lifting at the sight of him. "I thought you had left." Feeling a bit bold, I walked over to him and stood on my toes, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek before moving past him and into my closet. I'd made it a few feet before strong hands wrapped around my waist, turning me until I was caught in Sesshomaru's embrace, his lips coming down onto mine hungrily. I reacted with the same intensity, my arms wrapping around his neck and my body pressing into his, thrilled/terrified when I felt a large bulge in his slacks as our kissing deepened before it was cut off abruptly by Sesshomaru, who took a small step back from me, looking just slightly ruffled. Would he ever look less than perfect or was I 'doomed' to spend my life with someone who was always handsome? Lord Sesshomaru seemed slightly baffled, his eyes a bit wider than I'd seen them before and his mouth was slightly parted.

My eyes narrowed in confusion as I stared at him. "Is everything alright?"

"Hn." I stood still, staring at him until he gave me an actual answer. "I read that humans generally wait until their marriage vows to begin a mating."

"You mean sex?"

"Hn." I smiled at him. Was he really trying to tell me he wanted to wait until we were married before we had sex? That was... extremely cute and undemon like.

"Well, some people wait until marriage, I guess. Others don't." I made sure to look at him when I spoke next. "If we are being honest with each other, I don't care about sex before marriage happening, just as long as I'd be having sex with you." I turned back into my closet, my cheeks bright red from what I'd just said. I'd never been so blatant about anything before in my life, had I seriously just given Sesshomaru the okay to seduce me before we married? What if he sampled the product (me) and decided he no longer wished to buy it (marriage)?

I remembered what his dad had told me, using that to steady the sudden tension filling my shoulders.

I grabbed a sweater, pulling it on slowly before turning back around, a bit startled Sesshomaru was still standing a few feet in front of me. He'd been so silent since I'd spoken I had just assumed he'd left.

"Can I ask you something, my Lord?" He inclined his head slightly, an obvious go ahead. "Had you heard me play at a concert hall before I came to live here?"

"Yes."

"How many concerts did you attend that involved me?" I asked him, wanting to see if what his father told me was true or not. Sure, I believed Lord Inu Taisho, but hearing it from a third party wasn't the same thing as hearing it from the source and I needed to hear it from him.

"Seven." I raised an eyebrow at that. His dad had only mentioned four that I could remember. He'd come to see me play on his own?

"Is that how you knew I smelled like lavender and jasmine? From the other times you'd seen me play?" Lord Sesshomaru's expression turned more stony than usual, hinting that the discussion was closed. At least for now. I sighed, a bit unhappily. Just because I knew he wasn't going to answer me didn't mean I had to like it. "You know, my Lord, I truly hope that one day you'll trust me enough to confide in me." With that, I brushed past him, only stopping when he grabbed my arm, drawing me to a halt. I turned back to him, gently tugging on my arm until he let it go, his hand dropping casually to his side.

With a curl of his lip, Sesshomaru practically spat his words at me. "This Sesshomaru has no need to confide anything. It would imply feelings for a human, which this Sesshomaru does not possess."

My mouth dropped open a second before I became so angry that my jaw clenched shut, threatening to break all my teeth as I chose my next words. "For someone who claims to not have feelings for me, you hide it pretty well behind your kisses, attentiveness and protectiveness. Are you so full of self importance that you think you're too good for a human? That I'm worth nothing to you? If that's the case then tell me right now and I'll pack my things and leave and you won't ever need to see me again." Lord Sesshomaru remained silent, his face as impassable as ever. I threw my hands up in the air. "Make up your damn mind! Either you want me here or you don't, but if you do then you need to start accepting that you care for me. I thought we were making so much progress the past few days and then you do something to insult me. Why? Just so you can close yourself off again? Just because you know you desire me?" Still no reply. "Gods! You are the most aggravating demon I've ever met in my entire life, and I'll have you know, I thought Naraku was pretty damn bad." His eyes hardened at that. Good. Maybe he would actually show some emotion. "You know what? Just forget I gave you the choice to eventually love me; the poor, pathetic human. I'm just going to leave and be done with this place and definitely be done with you, you ass!"

I whirled around, intent on exiting the jumbo closet and storming out of the manor. I didn't know where the hell I planned on going, and I would probably need shoes, just as long as I got as far from Sesshomaru as possible. I groaned when Lord Sesshomaru was there, blocking the exit.

"You dare take that tone with this Sesshomaru?" I rolled my eyes, moving back into the closet and grabbing a pair of black ankle boots before placing them over my socks. "It is unwise to ignore me, Rin." My name came out as a growl on his lips. I bent down to place the shoes on my feet.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?" I spat back, grabbing the first shoe to place on my feet.

The next instant I was flat on my back in the closet, an angry Sesshomaru almost sitting on top of me as each knee was on either side of my hips, his hand wrapped on my exposed throat while his other hand was latched on my hip, holding my body down. Shoes forgotten, I latched my hands on to the arm that was grabbing my throat, my eyes narrowing. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Lord Sesshomaru bent down so his nose was a few inches above mine, growling his words at me. "Teaching you your place." I let my hands move from his arm to his shoulders.

"That's funny, I thought I was teaching you yours." His eyes clouded in confusion. I wrapped my hands behind his neck, dragging his head down to mine and kissing him roughly, letting all my frustrations and anger flow from me into that kiss, hoping he would reciprocate. Sesshomaru grabbed my jaw, his clawed fingers digging into skin as he used them to pry open my mouth so his tongue could tangle with mine. I moaned as our lips pressed more firmly to each other, his tongue caressing the inside of my mouth. His hands moved down my waist, grabbing my legs and pulling them apart, allowing his body to settle in-between them, his erection pressing into me as he began to grind his hips onto mine. Why did I have to put jeans on?

I wrapped my legs around his waist, my ankles locking together to spread my thighs open, allowing him as close to my denim clad body as we could get without removing our clothes. Why weren't we removing our clothes?

Sesshomaru pressed harder into the v of my legs, the feel of his erection teasing me to the point of near madness. I broke the kiss, panting and then moaning when his lips immediately went to the side of my uninjured neck and shoulder, licking and sucking on as much of the bare skin that was available due to the sweater. "My pants." I shuddered when he nipped my skin, sending another bout of desire through me. "Sesshomaru, take my jeans off." Another growl and I heard the denim tearing harshly before the cool air from the closet made contact with my suddenly bare skin. The sweater was next, being torn from my body as well as my bra, one of his clawed fingers ripping through the front of the bra and leaving my breasts exposed.

The rough handling startled me out of my dazed, horny state, making me realize that even though I wasn't in full control of my desires, I didn't think Sesshomaru was in control of himself at all. His hands dug roughly into my hips, almost to the point of pain, as he lifted them and thrust. I gasped as I felt him press at my entrance, followed by his own deep growl of frustration at the lack of results.

"Sesshomaru?" I asked, watching him break away from me and rip at the clothing on his skin, almost as if he didn't understand why he had clothing on to begin with. The separation of bodies gave me a moment to assess how far gone he was, and judging by his appearance, I didn't think the cool, calm and collected Sesshomaru was currently in residence. "Sesshomaru?" I asked again, startled when he finally removed the last of his clothing before his head jerked up and he stared back at me.

He looked similar to how he had last night when I'd been attacked. His jaw had elongated slightly, his ears were sharper, his eyes more round and completely red, no pupil or anything lurking in them. His markings went over all of his body, and they too were longer and more pronounced than they had been when I'd seen them before. I looked down in-between his legs, blushing furiously and looking away, more than a little worried. I hadn't ever seen an actual penis before, but I knew about different sizes and such and it looked like it was going to be an intimidating fit.

I sat up, the bra straps falling from my shoulders and down my arm. I discarded what was left of my bra, trying to keep my movements light and nonthreatening.

"Sesshomaru?" I asked again, hoping he would calm down enough to come back to me. I didn't know what the more wild side of him would be like, but I didn't think I would have a gentle first time if the beast reigned over him, and I was beginning to suspect from the wild look in his eyes that sex was definitely happening. I gulped.

I found myself flat on my back again, legs pulled wide, my center exposed and vulnerable as Sesshomaru's erection pressed into my opening. I'd read plenty of romance novels, so I knew there should have been some type of preparation or foreplay down there to get my body ready for him, but I didn't think I'd be receiving that, at least not this first time.

A gasp escaped my lips and my back arched as he thrust harshly. A menacing laugh came from the man above me and as I locked eyes with the man I was in love with I screamed as Naraku's body was on top of mine. I shoved the demon off of me, the blood in my body practically freezing as I struggled to get away, my limbs struggling to move up and away from the demon haunting me.

A strong, rough hand gripped my ankle, jerking me back to where I started.

"You're mine now." The strong voice barked in my ear.

"No, no, no!" I screamed, my lungs burning.

* * *

I awoke with a start, sitting up in bed and gasping, hands clutched to my heart as it beat rapidly beneath my shaking hands.

Oh crap, I'd dreamed that whole thing? I looked around my room and Sesshomaru was indeed gone, just like my dream. How odd. Well, no. No, it wasn't that odd. It was a perfectly normal thing to happen. I mean, the odds were fifty/fifty, so it wasn't creepy at all. And there was definitely no Naraku. Oh gods, how could I have such a horrid dream that Naraku was masquerading as Sesshomaru and stole my virginity?

I wiped some of the sweat from my brow, my entire body shaking as I threw back the covers and stepped out of the bed, my body slowly sinking down until my feet touched the soft, plush carpet.

Not wasting any time I went over to the vanity to see the damage my body had undergone the night before. From my tank top I could see the bruise on my shoulder and the faint finger marks under my chin where Naraku had gripped my throat. One of my legs was bruised and one of my wrists had dark splotches on it as well, but at least nothing was broken. Other than the bruises on my body, everything else looked fine.

Remembering my dream, I brought my hand up to the bruised shoulder and ran my fingertips along the smooth skin. I almost sighed in relief until I felt an abrasion on my skin, the exact same place I'd felt it in my dream. My eyes widened, reflected back at me in the mirror as I looked at where the cut should have been.

There was nothing there.

* * *

I stepped from the shower, feeling slightly better as I gently toweled off, some of the dream fading from my mind and into the background. It was just a dream, I had nothing to be worried about. I reached for my clothes, putting on the matching bra set I'd grabbed and putting on the jeans I'd brought in with me. My throat dried when I realized I didn't have a shirt. Hadn't I brought a sweater?

Wasn't that just like in my dream?

I walked over to the bathroom door, almost afraid to open it. What if Sesshomaru was on the other side of that door? Or worse, what if it wasn't him, but it was Naraku? I stood in the bathroom with my hand on the doorknob, unsure of what to do. I was at war with myself. Did I open the door and face whatever awaited me, or did I hide in the bathroom and hope that nothing was on the other side of that door?

It was just a dream. _It was just a dream. _I knew that, instinctively. Naraku was a demon, but he didn't have the power to go into someone's mind, did he? No. Of course not. I was just shaken up from everything that had happened the night before. Traumatized was probably a better word for it. Nothing was wrong, nothing ominous was happening, I was just having some odd coincidences due to the dream I'd had. It was nothing. Nothing.

I closed my eyes, gripping the doorknob even harder and breathed in deeply before twisting the knob and exiting my bathroom.

I shouldn't have been, but I found myself immensely relieved when Lord Sesshomaru wasn't waiting for me.

the thought was almost as disconcerting as it was relieving.

* * *

To my surprise, as I made my way down a few sets of stairs and to the main floor of the diner, I heard a bunch of commotion coming from the kitchen and informal dining area where Kagome and I usually ate lunch and dinner. I passed a few maids on the way to the dining room, nodding politely as I went by. Most of them were demons and barely gave me a second glance when I wished them a good morning, and considering the evening I had had, I didn't feel in the mood to be as joyful as I normally was.

When I reached the dining area I was startled to see Inuyasha, Kagome, Lord Inu Taisho and a gorgeous young woman with long black hair sitting around the table, their plates full of all types of breakfast foods.

The woman who must have been Izayoi stood up from her chair, a bright smile plastered on her face as she rushed towards me, giving me a big hug that was wonderful in its warmth even if it it did cause an ache to spread through all the bruises on my battered body.

"Oh darling, how lovely it is to see you, even if it is under such poor circumstances. Please, call me Izayoi. Come have a seat and eat with us," Lady Izayoi took my hand, leading me to an open chair and pulling it back for me as she made her way to her own seat, right next to Lord Inu Taisho.

"How are you this morning, Rin?" Lord Inu asked me, his fork resting on his plate as he stared at me intently, waiting on an answer.

"I'm okay. A bit tired from everything, but I'm alright. Sesshomaru came just in time last night, otherwise it could have been much worse." Lord Inu's eyes softened slightly at my words, almost as if he didn't believe my answer. Granted, after the nightmare I had I wasn't sure if I was completely sure of my answer either, but it seemed like an appropriate thing to say. I cleared my throat. "Um, is Sesshomaru not here?"

"Oh dear," Lady Izayoi said softly, almost as if she felt sorry for me. "Lord Sesshomaru has left the country." My heart skipped a beat, my mouth dried in dread and my eyes widened in disbelief. He left me? "Only for a short while, I'm sure." She said kindly, smiling sadly at me.

"Yes, he has found a lead on this Naraku scoundrel and left early this morning after him. He took his faithful servant Jaken with him and hopefully he deals with Naraku swiftly so that he might return to you as soon as possible." Lord Inu Taisho grabbed a plate, filling it with food before he reached across the table and set the plate down in front of me. Kagome diligently filled my empty glass with orange juice and smiling at my sympathetically. They were waiting on me almost as if they were afraid the simplest of movements would shatter me into a million pieces.

"Oh." Was all I said. I furrowed my brow as I stared down at the normally delicious plate of food. For some reason the food seemed like acid, the smell of it burning my nostrils and making me feel nauseous. A slight feel of nausea swept through me, making me scoot the plate away from me quickly, afraid the smell would make me vomit in front of everyone. I looked up at the worried faces around me, smiling politely. "I'm alright, really. I just wish Sesshomaru would have told me before he left." A few more sympathetic looks and I was about ready to rip the hair from my head in exasperation. Why were they staring at me like that? I stood up, my chair pushing back on the hardwood floor with a godawful scraping noise. "I'm not hungry at the moment, so I think I'll just go to my room and rest. Maybe play the piano beforehand if that wouldn't bother anyone." A chorus of 'no' and 'go ahead' filled the room before I smiled at the group at the table. "It was lovely to meet you Lady Izayoi and hopefully you'll be staying for a while so we can all get better acquainted."

With that I left the room and made my way to the piano, hoping it would make me feel even a little bit close to Sesshomaru. I couldn't believe he left and didn't tell me? Surely I was worth more to him than for him to just leave without uttering a word to me? Wasn't I?

I stared at the piano, unsure if I should play or not. Playing did always make me feel better, but right now all I felt was melancholy. I was just attacked by one of his rivals and he chose to run off and leave me alone? Granted, he was going off to hunt down the demon who hurt me, so I should have found it endearing, right? Instead, all I found it to be was distressful. Who would protect me now if something else happened? I could handle myself around regular humans, but demons? I wouldn't stand a chance by myself.

I lifted the box covering the piano keys, my fingers delicately stroking the instrument as I stared at the music sheets in front of me. I'd purchased some a few days ago, a lot of the sheets of music more recent songs from current singers and songwriters. I looked through the rather large selection of music and picked a song by Demi Lovato, working the keys until I found the match to the music sheet.

**This is a story that I have never told**  
**I gotta get this off my chest to let it go**  
**I need to take back the light inside you stole**  
**You're a criminal**  
**And you steal like you're a pro**

**All the pain and the truth**  
**I wear like a battle wound**  
**So ashamed, so confused**  
**I was broken and bruised**

**Now I'm a warrior**  
**Now I've got thicker skin**  
**I'm a warrior**  
**I'm stronger than I've ever been**  
**And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in**  
**I'm a warrior**  
**And you can never hurt me again**

**Out of the ashes, I'm burning like a fire**  
**You can save your apologies, you're nothing but a liar**  
**I've got shame, I've got scars**  
**That I will never show**  
**I'm a survivor**  
**In more ways than you know**

**Cause all the pain and the truth**  
**I wear like a battle wound**  
**So ashamed, so confused**  
**I'm not broken or bruised**

**Cause now I'm a warrior**  
**Now I've got thicker skin**  
**I'm a warrior**  
**I'm stronger than I've ever been**  
**And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in**  
**I'm a warrior**  
**And you can never hurt me**

**There's a part of me I can't get back**  
**A little girl grew up too fast**  
**All it took was once, I'll never be the same**  
**Now I'm taking back my life today**  
**Nothing left that you can say**  
**Cause you are never gonna take the blame anyway**

**Now I'm a warrior**  
**I've got thicker skin**  
**I'm a warrior**  
**I'm stronger than I've ever been**  
**And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in**  
**I'm a warrior**  
**And you can never hurt me again**

**You can never hurt me again**

I stood from the bench, carefully swiping away any lingering tears on my face before turning around to leave the ballroom. Kagome stood in the doorway, a sad look on her face as our eyes met.

I sighed loudly before walking over and then brushing past her, for some reason extremely irritated at the intrusion. "I don't want to talk, Kagome. Alright? Just give me a few days to be alone."

"You know he left because he's trying to protect you, right?"

I shrugged my shoulders, not bothering to slow my steps as Kagome rushed to my side. "Surely you know he didn't just abandon you, Rin."

"Logically I know he didn't leave me high and dry Kagome, but it just hurts that he left without so much as a word to me. I just thought he would have let me know. I'll get over it. Now I'm going to go take a nap and I'll be down when I'm less tired, okay?"

I didn't wait for Kagome to answer me. I walked calmly up to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me and laying on the bed, fully clothed. A dull ache on my shoulder reminded me of the odd cut I couldn't see on my body. I should have remembered to tell someone about it, but it seemed to slip my mind almost as soon as I remembered it was there. The cut throbbed painfully for another moment and then I was shutting my eyes, drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

I sat at the piano with a delicate, black silk nightgown covering me down to my thighs, the darkness surrounding me uncomfortably as I played something dark and sinister. My hands flew across the keys, practically slamming down on the ivory keys as the music swelled in and around me. I couldn't stop playing, couldn't pull my hands away from the piano, almost as if some unseen force was keeping me in place. I played and played, the music moving through me uncontrollably as the panic began to set in. I glanced at the room in front of me, expecting to see the ballroom I was accustomed to being in. Instead I found myself in a room that looked like the walls were made of flesh, the veins along them pulsating to the rhythm of the music. I shuddered, crying out when rough hands placed themselves on my delicate shoulders, a body pressing into my back.

I didn't have to turn around to know who was standing behind me.

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered out, my hands finally stilling on the piano, even though I was incapable of moving to get away from Naraku, who stood behind me.

Naraku bent down, his lips touching my ear before he whispered, "I want you to suffer unimaginable agony in every way I know how. I want you to feel nothing but sadness and misery when you are with anything you hold dear to your heart, including your precious Sesshomaru. I will destroy you to destroy him and when he is at his weakest, I will kill that demon mongrel and take what he considers his most precious possession; you." He placed his hands in my hair, jerking my head back until I was forced to stare up at his face, my back bending painfully in the process.

"Sesshomaru is going to kill you for hurting me."

Naraku smiled evilly, his head lowering until his lips were almost on top of mine. I wanted to shove him away from me, to scream in his face and beat him up with my fists, but in that moment I was incapable of moving at all. What was going on?

"How can he do anything to me when the only place I can be found is in your dreams? Do you think he can escape into your subconscious and vanquish me? Foolish girl. I'm here with you, lurking inside of you until you become a shadow of everything you once were. There is no fleeing from me, for I reside in the darkest places of your mind, in your heart, and soon you will fear the thought of even resting your eyes because you will know that in an instant I will be with you, bending you to my will until nothing of you remains but misery and heartache. I will break you as surely as I will destroy your lover and then you will be mine. Forever."

Naraku pressed his lips to mine, biting my lip painfully. At the sudden burst of pain I could move again and I shoved him away from me, using the moment to rush from the bench and towards where I thought the door might be. I tripped over a vein in the floor, falling into the squishy floor and smacking my head into the ground.

* * *

I sat up groggily, my head pounding painfully. I looked up from the floor, realizing I'd fallen off the bed at some point during my nap. Tears streaked down my face and I put my hands over my eyes, crying into them silently. I crawled to a corner of the room that was the least noticeable upon entry and brought my knees up to my chest, wrapping an arm around them as I bent my head into my knees and cried.

What was happening to me?

* * *

**Okay everyone, thanks for reading this past chapter! Sorry I wasn't able to update the past few weeks, but now that my relative is gone it's been a bit easier to focus on writing, even though I'm back at work again also. Please feel free to leave reviews on this chapter and hopefully I can get some more follows/favorites on this story!**

**BTW, be on the lookout for another RinxSessh story, because I've got a lot of ideas brewing in my mind and I have a feeling they'll have to be formed into a story before I lose my mind!**

**-Mo**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a few weeks since I updated this story, I got started on another one and it's been taking some time to get it up and running successfully (it's another RinxSessh story called 'Someone To Protect' so if you're looking for another story to read, please feel free to give it a shot). Anyway, please leave me some reviews on this chapter and I'm excited to say that I've got over 100 followers on this story and I'm pretty close to getting 100 favorites! So thank you to everyone who has been reading and enjoying this story, it really makes me happy knowing others are enjoying it as well.**

* * *

I had to stay awake.

No, I needed to stay awake. Every single time I found myself drifting off to sleep I would spend the next several hours of my life being tortured by Naraku in various ways. Normally it was just verbal assaults about how I was alone and unimportant and other times he would hurt me, sometimes even being so severe I awoke with fresh bruises on my skin. It had been going on for three days before I finally found my way to a pharmacy and bribed a technician to give me some prescription drugs over the counter to help me stay awake. I just needed to keep myself from dreaming and so far the only way I knew to do that was to stay up, never allow myself rest. Another four days had passed since I began taking the pills, a full week without Sesshomaru in my life and a full week of being terrified of my own shadow. I didn't eat, I didn't sleep, I just stayed in my bedroom with all the lights on, ignoring Kagome if she came down the hallway and stood outside my door. She never knocked, but I knew she lingered.

I had hurt her feelings when I had told her to leave me alone, something I never would have said to her had I not been so confused about Sesshomaru leaving and the rotten dream I'd had. After the piano nightmare I'd had another the same night, except this time Naraku threatened all the people I loved, saying if I told anyone his plans for me then he would slaughter us all, letting Kagome die first with her unborn child. He even said I could watch while he ripped the embryo out of her body and fed it to her. So far, it was the worst dream I'd had with him in it, and in some of them he killed me.

Could I even call them dreams? Naraku was intruding into my mind at almost any chance he could get, sometimes he would place an image of Sesshomaru in front of me, making me believe Sesshomaru was there with me, lulling me into a false sense of safety. It never lasted, always followed by another image of Sesshomaru lying dead at my feet while Naraku laughed sinisterly off into the distance. Sometimes he allowed me to wake up after that, but mostly he only took me farther into the fears normally kept locked deep inside my mind.

My head tilted back into the wall, resting there a moment before I snapped my head up and stood, dusting off the sweatpants I'd had on for the past two days. I needed a shower, but there had been a dream where Naraku watched me bathe before locking me into the shower stall and drowning me in it. It sounded absurd, believe me, but the water just filled up in the rectangle I was trapped in until it was above my head and I couldn't come to the surface because Naraku held my ankle at the bottom of the shower stall. So I drowned in an exact replica of the shower in my bathroom.

I shivered, scratching at the itch that had been consistently at my shoulder for days. It was probably some nervous tick from the lack of sleep. Four days straight with no sleep at all had left me irritable, exhausted, given me headaches, and made my body almost lethargic. I didn't know what else to do and the pills I'd paid an obscene amount of money for were nearly out.

I walked over to the vanity mirror, still scratching at the junction of my neck and my shoulder. Afraid I'd scratched it raw, I pulled back the neck of my shirt and stared in the mirror at my shoulder. I was relieved to see it looked completely fine, as it had the past week every time I had seen it in the mirror, but it was odd that there were no red marks or blemishes on my shoulder from the constant scratching.

I bent forward to get a better look at my shoulder from the mirror, squinting my eyes at the perfect display of skin on my upper torso. Not even a red mark? Not a white line from my nails as I'd scratched it? Wasn't it a bit odd? I did notice how awful I looked in the mirror, though.

My hair was dull, my eyes were dark and sunken in, even my body seemed thinner from the lack of sleep and food I'd been getting the past week. The only time I'd even left my room was late at night to keep myself from passing out. If I happened to find my way into the kitchen then I would make a snack and attempt to eat it, but a lot of times I forgot to eat, or I remembered the nightmare where Naraku made me eat an entire tray of maggots while I sat at a dining room table made out of spiders.

I shuddered at the thought, my reflection coming across as extremely pitiful. I glared at the mirror, watching the image glare back. How could I have allowed Naraku to turn me into this cowering mess? Just because a man had left me alone for more than a week without a phone call? Just because someone thought it was okay to take over my dreams and make me see things no one should ever see? I was stronger than that, wasn't I?

Was I?

I looked at myself in the mirror again, before sighing in defeat. I needed a shower. I turned my head, staring at the bathroom rather ominously. I wasn't asleep. I could take a shower and Naraku couldn't get to me. He'd been silent in my head ever since I decided to stay up and not sleep. I had had days to strengthen my resolve, to be stronger, and instead I'd spent it wasting away in my bedroom. I was better than that. I wasn't the future mate of one of the greatest dog demons on the planet because I was a scaredy cat, was I? No, it was because I was awesome.

I stared back at the sad image in the mirror. I just needed to remember how great I truly was.

* * *

I showered. I left the shower stall open the entire time, afraid of the shower filling up with water and drowning me. The image kept flashing in my mind, but it wasn't as strong as it had been the first time I'd bathed after that particular nightmare. Probably because I'd used the tub to bathe as opposed to the shower, hoping it would harbor less negative feelings. It hadn't so this time I had been sure to use the shower. It was mostly a large success. I had only hyperventilated once. Unfortunately the bathroom tile had been soaked in water by the time I'd finished showering, so I had to use some towels to clean up the mess. I'd been afraid I'd fall down and add yet another bruise to my long list of dark splotches covering my body, but I'd been fine.

After I had braided my long hair and dressed in something that hid how fragile my body looked, I finally exited the bedroom in the middle of the day, making my way down the hallway, slowly down the stairs, down another hallway and into the dining room where a maid was waiting, asking if I would like any food.

After a hesitant nod, the maid left to inform the cook and I pulled out a chair and sat down, staring at the table almost as if I expected it to morph into a few thousand tarantulas while I waited.

The image flashed into my mind, making me think I was back there, sitting at the spider table while Naraku shoved maggots down my throat. It was so real, so life-like, I jumped back, knocking my chair over and stumbling into Kagome who was standing right next to me. When had she gotten there?

"Rin?" Kagome asked, her soothing voice bringing tears to my eyes. God, why had I been avoiding her? I looked up at my cousin, our eyes meeting before I burst into tears, hugging her to me as if she were a lifeline. "Rin, you don't look well. What's wrong?" What was wrong? What wasn't wrong? Everything, everything in my life was crashing down around me. I was incapable of doing anything out of absolute fear of what lurked deep in my mind, ready to destroy me and those I loved. The one person who might have been able to protect me was far away, most likely not returning to me for several more weeks. Sesshomaru hadn't bothered contacting me at all, and the vicious voice in my head was making me think maybe he didn't care, perhaps he never did. Everything was wrong.

I stared at Kagome before clutching my head in my hands, one of my dreams beginning to clash with reality. I was seeing Kagome, but I was also seeing Naraku standing behind her, smiling menacingly at the young woman in front of him. My lip trembled as I stared, tears falling down my face. My hands shook as I pulled them through the tangled mess that was my hair.

"I... I don't. I mean, I can't..."

_"Would you like to bare witness to the destruction of your entire family? Everyone you hold dear? Perhaps I'll start with Kagome and the mutt growing in her belly. Wouldn't it be fascinating to watch her die? First, I'll shove my fist through her belly, find the seed Inuyasha planted in her weeks ago and rip it from her body. When she screams out in agony I'll shove it down her throat, all while you watch, before I rip out her beating heart and give it to you."_

I jerked out of Kagome's embrace, tears running down my face. "I'm fine."

Kagome's eyes widened at the lie before softening in pity. "Rin, whatever it is, it's killing you. I can feel it, standing so closely to you now. It's sinister, evil."

"Leave it alone, Kagome." The maid walked in with a tray of food, all various assortments I generally would have loved. Instead, the food made me nauseous, almost as if it was old and expired. Even the smell made me feel sick. I backed up, keeping both of them in my line of sight. I bumped into someone, sucking in a startled breath before turning around and coming face to face with Inuyasha.

His eyes widened, like Kagome's had at the sight of me. "Jesus, Rin. You look sick as hell. When was the last time you ate?" _Two days ago. _He cast a worried glance at Kagome before returning his gaze to me. "Father spoke to Sesshomaru yesterday, but he hasn't made any progress. Maybe you should call him? I'm sure if he knew you weren't doing so well without him he would give up his search and come home." _Call. Call him. Yes. Call Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru! _I clutched my hands over my ears, trying to drown out the scream in my mind for Sesshomaru.

"I can't. I can't, okay? Just stop."

"Who are you talking to, Rin?" Kagome asked me, coming to stand close to me. Too close.

"Just leave me alone!" I dropped my hands, backing away from them before turning around to run away.

Inuyasha reached out and latched a hand onto my covered wrist. I cried out in pain, his grip landing on a painful bruise I'd received from Naraku that had yet to heal. None of my bruises had healed. I ripped out of his hold, not bothering to explain anything as I ran back up to my room, letting the door close softly behind me.

* * *

"What the fuck was that, Kagome?" Inuyasha cast a worried glance at his fiancé. He hadn't seen Rin in what felt like a week and he sure as hell didn't remember her looking so banged up or frightened, even after she was attacked by Naraku in her own home. Kagome shook her head sadly, unsure of how to answer.

"Inuyasha... I don't want this to sound weird, but her aura... I can sense it and it's not right. It's tainted. Sick. Something is hurting her, something evil." Inuyasha furrowed his brow, placing a gentle arm around Kagome's waist, allowing her to bask in his embrace while they held one another.

"I think I should tell Sesshomaru what's happening. He'll need to know so he can travel back here as soon as possible. You're right about something being evil with Rin. I could still smell traces of Naraku on her, which is weird considering that night his scent wasn't anywhere to be found. Sesshomaru needs to know that."

Kagome gasped, pulling away from him. "Do you think Naraku is up there with her?"

"No, father would be able to sense him if he were." At least, Inuyasha hoped so. Noticing that his hands were now free, Inuyasha grabbed his phone from his pocket, pressing 3 on his speed dial and placing the device up to his ear.

"What." Inuyasha almost growled at the tone in Sesshomaru's voice, but thought better of it under the circumstances.

"You need to get home as soon as possible. When was the last time you talked to Rin?"

"It is not your concern."

"Actually, asshole, it is." There was a small silence.

"What has happened with Rin?"

"Answer my question, Sesshomaru."

"We spoke the night before I departed." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Figures his brother couldn't be bothered to get ahold of the poor girl.

"She's been avoiding us all for days and when she came down today, it was evident that she'd lost weight, she doesn't seem to be sleeping well, if at all, and she was behaving erratically." More silence. "She also smelled of Naraku."

The phone went dead. Inuyasha pushed the device back into his pocket, smiling happily at Kagome. "I'm pretty sure he'll be here as soon as possible." Kagome sighed in relief, hoping that they'd call Sesshomaru in time.

"I think we should go upstairs and check on her. I thought she'd been mad at me the last week, that's why I haven't pushed her or bugged her. But seeing her now..." Kagome shuddered before grabbing Inuyasha's hand and dragging him with her towards the staircase. "I don't think we should be leaving her alone."

Normally Inuyasha would have argued with Kagome, not enjoying being tugged around like a dog on a leash, but Kagome was right. Rin had been alone long enough.

* * *

_No. No. No. No. NO!_

Where were my pills? They were gone! I ripped my room apart, the effort and my haste causing me to tire far too easily as I searched for what belonged to me. Why couldn't I find what I was looking for? Why would I have moved them from their location?

As soon as I'd run from my family and into my room I'd been looking for those pills, but now I couldn't find them. I'd been keeping them on my nightstand next to a glass of water but they'd apparently vanished. I sighed wearily, sinking on to the bed. I must have moved them, I just didn't remember. The past week had been so hectic, so terrifying that it made sense after four days without sleep I would misplace things, not remember certain events that must have happened. Being locked up in my room made the time drag on into eternity, it would be completely logical to have placed them somewhere I wouldn't normally and then completely forget about it. I shut my eyes, my body relaxing under the comfort of the mattress. It made sense.

It had to to make sense.

My body shifted of its own accord, falling backward onto the bed. The will to stay awake left me, the exhaustion creeping in until that was all I knew.

* * *

_"Did you think you could escape me forever?" Naraku smiled, his face contorting into a brief glimpse of his rage before a mask slid over, hiding the expressions on his face. "Poor little Rin. Were you looking for these?" He held up the small orange bottle, shaking it for effect as the pills rattled around inside. I winced at the sound, not knowing why it was amplified, but not caring because it was so loud it was messing with my head. _

_When had I fallen asleep? And how had Naraku taken my medicine? There was no way he should have been able to come into the mansion, right? It was more protected ever since he'd come in the first time undetected. Had he ever left?_

_"But, how do you have those? How?" Naraku smiled again, throwing the pills over his shoulder before grabbing my waist and dragging me to him. The bottle hit the far wall of my bedroom and I felt bile rise in my throat at the contact, the smell of his body making me gag._

_Why were we still in my bedroom? Every other time I'd gone to sleep, baring the first dream I'd had with Sesshomaru that Naraku had taken over, I'd always been in some terrifying scenario, never in something so normal as my bedroom. Granted, the room had an odd tint to it, almost a dull blue, like I was seeing it through a filter that left a certain haze around the bedroom. Almost as if I was seeing it from a different plane of reality. It was interesting. Captivating. I looked around with what room I had, being captured in Naraku's arms and gasped when I noticed myself lying on the bed. I was wearing the same outfit I had on now, but my body was clearly sleeping._

_It was almost like astral projection._

_I didn't understand. Nothing in my dreams had ever been like this before. What the hell was happening?_

_"Don't be such a fool, Rin. Don't you know it is I who control you? I am your master. You've been living your past few days in absolute terror, something I have relished in every moment. You can't escape me, for I am always in you. When you see a flash from your dream, that is me projecting those images into your mind. When you find your hands pulling your hair painfully, it is I pulling your strings. Without your precious Sesshomaru to guard you, you're more vulnerable than I had even realized." He snapped his fingers and my body lying on the bed sat up, my eyes opening, my expression vacant. How did he do that? I couldn't be that vulnerable, could I? That easy to manipulate, to control?_

_"I'm not!"_

_Naraku laughed, turning me around to face the mirror in my bedroom. I watched from the other side of the mirror as my body placed my legs over the side of the canopy bed, before standing and turning towards us. It was unsettling, watching my body from outside of it. What was he going to do to me? Could I fight it? I shut my eyes tightly, trying in vain to get my body to stop moving, but when I opened them a few seconds later, I realized my attempt had been in vain. _

_"Don't you see, Rin? You've gone days without sleeping, in fact, you're awake right now. I've merely captured your mind with mine while your body remains awake and vulnerable. How easy would it be, to just..."_

_I watched in the mirror as my body moved of its own accord to the vanity, opening a drawer and reaching inside, pulling out a pair of scissors. What the fuck. I didn't keep scissors in there, I didn't. I DIDN'T. A light from the bedroom hit the scissors, causing a glint to reflect in the mirror and blind my eyes. For a second I was back in my body, staring at the mirror in confusion. The next I was back in Naraku's clutches, staring at myself._

_I wasn't sure how I was standing with Naraku, but also standing in my bedroom. I was too different people, in a sense. My mind was held captive in a different plane while my body was in the present, following the command of Naraku and his will. He had me totally at his mercy, and in the past week I knew for a fact Naraku had no mercy in him. He was corrupt and evil to the core._

_"What are you going to do?"_

_"You thought to defy my will, to disobey me by attempting to remain out my reach. I plan on teaching you a lesson." Naraku lifted his hand up in the air, smiling cruelly. His other hand gripped my chin, pointing my head at the woman in front of me, daring me to look away. I couldn't even if I had tried, my eyes watching in terror at the event that unfolded before me._

_I was forcibly turned and watched as my body lifted the pair of scissors up in the air before jamming them into my chest, a few inches from my heart._

* * *

Oh gods. There was blood everywhere. It was all over the sweater I had on, it was on the vanity, on my hands and all over the scissors still imbedded in my chest. What the fuck. What the fuck, WHAT THE FUCK? I was still standing in front of the vanity, one of my hands still wrapped tightly around the pair of scissors protruding from my chest.

I wheezed, stumbling and nearly falling to the ground if I hadn't landed into a nearby wall, my bloody hands smearing the wall as it held me up until I made it to the bedroom door. It took a few tries to twist the knob, seeing as how the blood on my hands made the doorknob slippery. Once I was out of my bedroom, I stumbled, falling on my hands and knees in the center of the hallway. I stared down at the blades in my chest, crying out as the fall jarred its movement, causing more blood to pour from the wound and to the floor. I stared down at the rug in the hallway, noting that deep red blood didn't look good once it soaked into the rich fabric. The blood on my hands was drying and I think I was in shock as I merely stared at the blood pooling from my body. Was I dying? It didn't feel super painful. Shouldn't it have felt really painful? The only thing I could think of was that I was ruining a probably extremely old priceless rug, and that I wasn't going to see Sesshomaru before I died. That hurt to think about, more so than the scissors piercing my chest.

"I smell blood, Kagome." I heard shouted from downstairs, almost sighing in relief at the sound of Inuyasha's voice. Maybe I wouldn't die alone, maybe I could see Kagome one last time and wish her well with Inuyasha before I finally died. I should have realized this was what Naraku had planned from the beginning. To torment and then eventually kill me, especially if he thought he could accomplish all of this while Sesshomaru was gone. What better way to hurt Sesshomaru than letting him know he was incapable of protecting me?

Loud footfalls were coming closer to the hallway now coated in my blood. They were coming for me. The first good news I'd heard in a week.

"Oh, gods. Rin!" Kagome appeared out of thin air, crying hysterically as Inuyasha picked me up and sprinted down the hallway.

"Could you please run more gracefully? You're moving my chest too much." I said to him calmly, probably far too calmly. I shut my eyes.

* * *

I was in a car, Kagome sobbing as she brushed my hair back from my face, her hands bloody. "Kag-" I gurgled, coughing up blood as I tried to call her name. I couldn't lift my hands. My body wasn't working right. The only thing I felt was the cold that was seeping into my body.

"Inuyasha, hurry!" Kagome touched my hair again. "Please, Rin. You have to stay awake, okay?" I tried to nod as she cried heavily in the seat next to my head, but my limbs weren't cooperating with me. "Sesshomaru is on his way, and he'll know what to do, so just hold on, okay? Hold on for him. You have to do that. Just hold on."

I blinked rapidly, the sun either setting or my vision dimming.

* * *

It occurred to me I was blacking out when I was on a gurney, flying through a hallway. The lights in the ceiling flashed by at an incredible speed. I felt like I was flying. Maybe death was similar to flying.

* * *

Golden eyes. Golden eyes were looking at me through my groggy haze. Golden eyes held mine captive until I fell asleep. It was the first time I slept without interruption in a week.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the long awaited update, my husband got back after being away for three months and I updated another story a few days ago, so it's taken me a bit to get this story posted! Have no fear, I'm still completely involved in this story and will do my best to keep providing updates hopefully every week. If you're looking for another RinxSessh story to read, I started another story called 'Someone To Protect'. It's only got a few chapters but it's over 30,000 words so far. Anyways, please read this chapter from our dear Sesshomaru's point of view and feel free to leave me some reviews on how you liked the update and also feel free to like/fav the story! Thanks so much for waiting patiently for this update and I hope you liked it!**

* * *

He sat there, knowing he was useless. A failure. He sat rigid in the hospital chair, ignoring the way it creaked when he shifted slightly.

Sesshomaru had been a fool, succumbing to the deception of that pathetic half demon Naraku. How had Sesshomaru been capable of such idiocy as to assume Naraku would leave a trail so easily to be followed? It had been arrogance and pride that had led Sesshomaru down the path he'd chosen for over a week, under the misguided impression that he, a great and powerful dog demon, was seeking out a threat to eliminate in order to keep his loved one safe. If only he'd realized sooner the danger he'd placed her in merely by leaving her side. Sesshomaru had been too consumed in his own personal vendetta against the one who harmed his Rin that when he had left to bring her justice he had left her at her most vulnerable.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes, the bright amber orbs locating the sleeping woman on the hospital bed in front of him. Although he would never admit it to anyone, his pride was his life, Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as a vice like grip took hold of his heart, making the organ skip a painful beat just by looking at his mate lying peacefully in the bed next to his chair. He'd left her alone and she had nearly died. Would have died, Sesshomaru reminded himself, had not his brother and the girl Kagome rushed in to save his young mate. She would have been dead if they had been even a minute slower in their haste to the hospital, but their ingenuity and speed had given Rin another chance at life, and hopefully Sesshomaru, another chance to show her he could protect her. He could provide for her. That he could love her properly and keep her safe from harm all at once.

What a fool he'd been, to leave her side.

From the first moment Sesshomaru had laid his eyes upon Rin over a year ago, he'd known there was something enchanting about her. Something that allured him, sang to him and made him feel whole. Alive. Her voice and her music had been a gift to him, and when his father had arranged for their meet and possible marriage, Sesshomaru had felt that even being in her presence would have been enough for him, even had she hated him. Yet at the first sign of danger he had abandoned her to her fate, even if he believed he had been doing otherwise.

It didn't matter how noble his intentions, the results were the same.

Rin had nearly been murdered at the hands of Naraku, no matter what the human doctors felt compelled to remind him otherwise.

Rin had still been conscious when she had been rushed to the emergency room, Sesshomaru only a few minutes behind her (being a dog demon capable of flight came in handy when his entire reason for living was threatened). He had seen for himself the large blades from the scissors protruding from her chest, the harsh way she attempted to breathe through the pain, only to wheeze and gasp until a mask had been gently placed over her nose and mouth, giving her the precious oxygen she had so desperately craved. From then on she had been rushed into an operating room, the best surgeon in the hospital called to help her, to save her.

A few hours later Rin had been given her own private room and Sesshomaru had remained at her side ever since.

He stared at her still form, a part of him wishing she would just open her eyes and see him. Smile at him shyly. Anything.

Instead, his dear Rin lay in a medically induced coma. She had been that way for the past four days and Sesshomaru felt a part of himself wither away and die each day she was required to remain in such a condition.

Malnourished, the doctors had told him. Dehydrated, sleep deprived to the point where she had stabbed herself in the chest with a pair of sewing scissors in order to end whatever misery she had been experiencing. And the bruises and cuts on her body.

Sesshomaru's vision turned a harsh shade of red, a growl rushing out before he could control the animal lurking so close to the surface. Knowing such behavior would not help Rin heal, Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath to steady his frayed emotions. Once collected, Sesshomaru opened his eyes and laid a hand on Rin's own hand, twining their fingers together even though hers remained limp in his grip.

She was such a delicate creature, and without her larger than life personality and strong attitude lighting up the hospital room, she looked so fragile, so small. She had been his to protect and he had failed her. Such an act from him couldn't go unpunished and Sesshomaru would not find himself surprised to know she no longer wished to be with him, even though he knew they were mates. The thought caused another painful grasp on his beating heart, leaving him feel slightly bereft.

* * *

"Sesshomaru, how are things?" Lord Inu Taisho shut the hospital door behind him, in his hand a vase full of fresh flowers. "Izayoi and Kagome thought Rin would appreciate some nice smelling flowers when she awakens shortly. We all know how she loves her flowers." Inu Taisho chuckled slightly before placing the vase on a table next to the sleeping woman. He cast a sorrowful look at his son, before picking up the conversation. "I've sent out some of our finest trackers to hunt down this Naraku, but they have still yet to find him."

Sesshomaru practically snarled at the thought of Naraku escaping justice, but he kept himself in check. It was one thing to be an emotional wreck in front of his beloved Rin, but his father was another matter entirely.

"His scent has nearly vanished since my arrival. I would like to assume whatever hold he had on her was broken, but the scent still lingers on one of her shoulders. I believe he marked her in some way." Sesshomaru clenched his hands together, ignoring the way his clawed fingers dug into him, breaking the flesh on his knuckles until they bled.

Lord Inu Taisho nodded his head sadly. "I'm afraid there isn't much we can do for Rin now. Unless..."

Sesshomaru took his eyes from the sleeping beauty in front of him, his eyes narrowing into slits as he watched his father think. "Unless what, father?"

"A mate bond is a powerful thing, my son. Very powerful indeed."

"What's your point? Be quick, before I tire of this conversation."

"Watch your tone, boy." Inu Taisho snarled at his eldest son before straightening the tie he wore and taking a seat opposite his son on the other side of Rin's bed. "A mate bond, a true bond, is capable of breaking many spells cast. I believe that whatever he has done to Rin to torment her is taking place in her mind, and I think it has something to do with the mark on her shoulder. We can't see it, but we can smell it and we know it's there. Perhaps you should bite into his mark with one of your own, a more permanent bond. It is my own opinion that a true mate bond will eliminate his hold on our Rin, probably for good."

The thought was entirely appealing, and yet, Sesshomaru knew he wouldn't do it. Not while she was comatose.

"Rin might hate me after all that has happened to her. To mate her without her consent... It would be wrong." Sesshomaru mused, staring at the angel in the bed next to him.

"It would be freeing her from her prison."

"And potentially dragging her into yet another type of prison."

"The mate bond can never be used like that."

"Unless she no longer wishes to be tied to me in any way and I strip the choice from her as she recovers from her various injuries." Sesshomaru stared at her, wishing more than anything she would lift her lashes and smile up at him. Even if her fingers just locked around his, it would be enough. Yet it was the same as it had been the past few days, she didn't stir in her bed. Didn't open her eyes at the sound of his voice or give any acknowledgement of his presence. He knew it would be impossible anyway, she was in a medically induced coma, which was put in place specifically to keep someone asleep. Of course she wouldn't stir at his presence.

"Do you truly believe Rin would ever deny you?"

"Look at her, father. She nearly died."

"She would not blame you for that."

"Perhaps not."

"Tell me, Sesshomaru. Is she not yours to protect?"

Sesshomaru's hands fisted at his sides, compelled to answer the question and yet knowing it was none of his father's concern. This entire ordeal had begun with Sesshomaru's need to protect Rin, his insatiable quest to seek out justice for his young love. Yet his need to protect her was how she had become injured in the first place.

To know she had nearly died... Sesshomaru didn't think he could exist without her. Wasn't sure if he wanted to exist without her. She was his. Hopefully she would choose to remain so.

"I leave the decision to you. The longer you delay, the longer Naraku has a chance of hurting her further."

And with that final word, Lord Inu Taisho left, shutting the door quietly behind him, leaving his son to gaze at the woman slumbering peacefully in her bed.

* * *

"How are you doing, Sesshomaru?" Kagome came into the room the next day, holding a large bag at her side, Inuyasha trailing in after her. The younger half demon carried another vase full of flowers, setting it where Kagome directed, on the window sill. She opened the blinds, letting sunlight in for the first time since Rin had been carted into her room. Sesshomaru squinted his eyes for the moment it took him to adjust to the unwanted brightness. He had made sure to keep the room devoid of light, wanting Rin to rest as much as possible.

"Hn." Was his reply, barely glancing at the new additions to the room around him.

"That isn't a reply, Sesshomaru. Have you eaten at all or slept since you've come back?" Kagome cast a worried look in his direction, something he pretended to ignore. The last thing he desired was a human woman, someone who was not Rin, fawning over him in attempt to take care of him. Sesshomaru didn't need to be cared for, unless it was Rin doing the caring. Perhaps that would be acceptable to him. He almost smiled at the thought.

At the silence that filled the room, Inuyasha practically snorted in his brother's direction, rolling his eyes and turning to Kagome. "I don't know why you even try to talk to him. He almost never answers you, even after you saved Rin's life." Inuyasha turned and glared at his elder brother, frustration evident on his face. As much as Sesshomaru like to pretend, his Rin's absence was affecting more than just himself. Everyone felt her lack of light shining on them, especially Sesshomaru. Kagome huffed out a breath, smacking Inuyasha on the arm at the same time.

"It's not like I saved her life just to please Sesshomaru. Rin is practically my sister and I love her. I would do anything for her."

"I must thank you, Kagome. Rin would not be here with us now if not for you and Inuyasha." The words were quietly spoken and had there been any other noise in the room they might have gone unnoticed. As it was, Kagome's eyes widened and Inuyasha' mouth dropped open in shock.

Sesshomaru kept his gaze locked on the bed, in almost the same location he'd been looking for the past several days, his eyes centered on Rin's innocent face. Inuyasha coughed into his hand, stepping back and forth on the balls of his feet awkwardly, clearly taken aback by the show of gratitude from his older brother.

Kagome cleared her throat, eyes shining with unshed tears as she came to the bed, squeezing Rin's hand in her own for a moment and then grabbing her bag, reaching inside for some of the contents. "I brought some stuff I thought might cheer Rin up. I read somewhere that even when people are in a coma they can still hear what's going on around them, so I thought if I brought her iPod, she might like to hear some of her favorite songs. You know how Rin loves her music." Kagome pulled out a portable iHome system, setting it gently on the nightstand by the bed, moving the other vase out of the way and over to the window, next to the other set of flowers.

Kagome made her way into the bathroom, the sound of the water running in the sink the only noise in the room while she was gone. Both brothers remained silent in her absence, content to let any conversation lay dormant between them. Kagome returned a few moments later with a glass of water, moving to the plants and giving them nourishment. Afterward she moved back to the iHome, placing the newer iPod onto the docking station and pressing a few tabs on the touch screen until music began playing softly through the speakers.

Kagome sighed, almost as if she also enjoyed the music playing throughout the large room.

The three of them sat in silence around the hospital bed for a few hours, Kagome and Inuyasha making small talk with one another occasionally, although they mostly remained caught up in the beep of the machine monitoring Rin's health as well as the music that pulsed through the room.

Sesshomaru barely had any time for whatever nonsense was playing through the speakers, mostly tuning it out to focus on his inner turmoil.

Another hour passed before the couple in front of him stood from their seats, Kagome eyeing the bed sadly before turning a small smile in Sesshomaru's direction. "Would you like us to grab anything for you before we leave? Food or a drink, maybe a book or magazine?"

"I require nothing."

"Feh, let's get out of here Kagome." Inuyasha placed a hand at the small of her back, gently pressing her body out of the room until the door clicked softly behind them as they departed. The music playing droned on and on, making Sesshomaru more irritated than he had been while Kagome and Inuyasha had been invading his space. However, knowing that Rin might be capable of listening to her surroundings was what stayed his hand from turning the device off.

Sesshomaru kept his gaze steady, his hand resting comfortably in the embrace of Rin's own. Her limp fingers saddened him, but he knew the longer she was kept in a coma, the sooner she would heal completely, that she would heal and be safe. No matter how lonely he was or how long it took, Sesshomaru would be patient. He would wait for her.

His ear twitched as another song began to play, the sound of Marvin Gaye coming through the speakers.

_Listen, baby.  
Ain't no mountain high,  
Ain't no valley low,  
Ain't no river wide enough, baby._

Just then a woman's voice filled the speakers, her lull nearly as enchanting as Rin's own voice.

_If you need me, call me,  
__No matter where you are,  
no matter how far.  
_

If only Rin had called him when she had needed him. Better yet, if only he had called her to check up on her while he'd been gone. He never should have left her alone, unprotected.

_Don't worry baby,_

_Just call my name,  
I'll be there in a hurry,  
You won't have to worry. _

'_Cause baby,_  
_There ain't no mountain high enough_  
_Ain't no valley low enough_  
_Ain't no river wide enough_  
_To keep me from getting to you_

_Remember the day_  
_I set you free_  
_I told you_  
_You could always count on me darling_  
_From that day on I made a vow_  
_I'll be there when you want me_  
_Some way, some how_

Sesshomaru wanted to turn off the iHome,pretend the song currently playing wasn't affecting him, making him remember the past few weeks of his life, yet the music spoke to him powerfully, almost as if Rin herself were speaking to him. He remembered the day she was brought to him by his father, their arranged marriage effectively setting her free from the harsh hold of her aunt. She was offered protection, affection, and he had promised her he would always be there for her, at least he had made the promise to himself.

_'Cause baby,_  
_There ain't no mountain high enough_  
_Ain't no valley low enough_  
_Ain't no river wide enough_  
_To keep me from getting to you_

_No wind, no rain  
Or winters cold can stop me baby.  
If you're ever in trouble  
I'll be there on the double,  
Just send for me baby._

If only Rin had sent for him. Or he had been wise enough to know when he was needed by his mate. That she was in danger should have been his first priority, no matter if he'd foolish assumed his departure was a sure way of guaranteeing her safety. He had been wrong and Sesshomaru didn't dare be wrong yet again.

_My love is alive_  
_Way down in my heart_  
_Although we are miles apart_

Is that how Rin had felt during his absence? That although they were several hundred miles apart she was still as much in love with him as he was with her? Sesshomaru hoped that was the case.

_If you ever need a helping hand_  
_I'll be there on the double_  
_As fast as I can_

_Don't you know that_  
_There ain't no mountain high enough_  
_Ain't no valley low enough_  
_Ain't no river wide enough_  
_To keep me from getting to you_

_Don't you know that_  
_There ain't no mountain high enough_  
_Ain't no valley low enough_  
_Ain't no river wide enough_

The upbeat tune ended rather abruptly, almost as if it hadn't shaken Sesshomaru as deeply as it had. Almost as if it hadn't made him want Rin to wake up so he could promise her everything he had meant to, so he could let her know that there was no obstacle that could keep him from her.

Just as the song ended, leaving Sesshomaru feeling bleak and alone, he was startled to find Rin's small fingers grip his own for a second before going lax once more. But Sesshomaru had felt it, had seen it happen, and it was enough.

* * *

After many days of doctors poking and prodding at his Rin, they finally determined she was healthy enough and healing enough to come out of her coma, effective immediately. When they had taken her out of a coma, Sesshomaru and the others had been warned that it might take more than a few hours for Rin to wake up naturally. Even though her body was healing nicely, she had still gone through quite the trauma and her body might keep her asleep for a little while longer in the hopes of healing her further.

Sesshomaru didn't care how long it would take, as long as Rin would open her eyes and see him. He was both full of excitement and dread at the prospect of Rin opening her eyes.

Never in his long life had Sesshomaru felt such a wash of emotions clouding his mind. Such a fragile woman was capable of either granting him her forgiveness or condemning him to a life of loneliness. He knew what she would choose, what would be the logical reason. What would Rin want with a mate who could not protect her? Who didn't even spare a moment from his long days of searching to phone her and see how she was?

He had treated her as if he hadn't thought about her constantly or missed her, which had not been the case. He had missed her profusely, thought of nothing else but her safety. Where had it gotten him? Sitting next to her injured body in a hospital room for the better end of a week.

He failed in nearly every way that mattered when it came to the woman he loved, the woman who had stolen what little of his heart existed.

The first hour past slowly for Sesshomaru. Through the many years of his life Sesshomaru had gotten to the point where time became irrelevant, something unnecessary to one who lived hundreds, perhaps even over a thousand years. Yet, staring down at the beauty before him, Sesshomaru was aware of every precious second that seemed to tick by, the trickle of time seemed to never end, to antagonize him as the clock on the wall ticked slowly, ever so slowly.

The second hour past at relatively the same pace. The only difference were the nurses that trickled into the room every few minutes to monitor Rin's vitals on one of the screens surrounding her bed. They never spoke to him, not that Lord Sesshomaru cared, they merely wrote whatever results they found and then left the room a few minutes later.

The third hour was full of family, Lord Inu Taisho, Inuyasha and Kagome. Lord Sesshomaru felt selfish for wishing they would depart and allow him every moment he had with Rin to be private, yet he knew they were perhaps just as anxious as he was for her to finally wake up.

Perhaps she would then be able to give them the vital information they needed to end Naraku once and for all. Perhaps she would understand the mate bond would be the most beneficial, the most crucial, aspect in defeating Naraku's hold on her and she would gladly accept the bite Lord Sesshomaru had to offer her. He doubted it, but maybe Rin would see the reason behind the mate bond.

The fourth hour yielded more restlessness from the small group gathered in the room. Inuyasha and their father stepped out of the room periodically, Lord Inu Taisho no doubt inquiring after Rin with her various doctors. Sesshomaru remained impassive, staring down at Rin, almost as if he could compel her soft brown eyes to open.

The fifth hour left Sesshomaru alone again with Rin, the others leaving to find food to consume while they waited.

Sesshomaru kept his hand firmly locked with Rin's, his eyes widening slightly when her grip tightened on his skin and she shifted hesitantly on the bed, almost as if she wasn't sure it was safe to move her body.

"Rin." Sesshomaru's voice was steady and sure, even though the demon felt anything but either of those. Rin's delicate eyebrows shifted slightly, almost as if she were in the throws of a dream and incapable of waking. She shifted again, her beautiful lashes lifting slowly until her brown eyes connected with Sesshomaru's, almost as if she was having trouble seeing him, as if he wasn't truly there with her.

Sesshomaru lifted his free hand, using it to palm her cheek, his thumb rubbing on her skin soothingly. Rin nuzzled into his palm, sighing softly. Her hand reached up, Sesshomaru was sure to pull his hand from her smooth skin. Instead her hand cupped his, holding him as close to her as she could.

Rin cleared her throat, eyes softening at the sight of the demon in front of her.

"I missed you," Rin's voice came out weak and thready. Sesshomaru found himself sitting on the bed with her, gathering the small bundle of Rin into his arms and holding her against his chest. Rin smiled up at him, her hands wrapping around his neck. "I'm so glad you're here. You kept him away from me." Rin shut her eyes, breathing into his silk, button up shirt. "You kept him away."

Sesshomaru lifted his upper lip into a snarl, wanting to rip apart those that threatened her to end whatever misery she was feeling.

"I won't leave you again." Lord Sesshomaru promised her. And he meant it.

* * *

**Okay, that was it for the update, I hope everyone liked this chapter and please feel free to leave me some reviews so I know how I'm doing!**

**Much love,  
Mo**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone! How's life? Just a quick heads up on this chapter, it started out as past tense, as most of the story does, but for some weird reason nearly half of this chapter just morphed over to present tense and I didn't even realize it until I proofread (which is something I almost never do). Anyways, I don't know what made me just switch it up like that, so I made sure to find any errors and switch it back to past tense, but if I missed something and you find it, well, you know why it was there lol. Anyways, thank you so much for all the reviews! I just looked at my stats on this story and I have over 200 reviews and over 100 likes/favs on this story. How awesome is that?! It's all thanks to you guys who don't mind waiting a few weeks at a time for me to get my ass in gear and write something for you. I really appreciate all the support for this story and I hope you all know that! Anyways, without further ado, here is the story. I hope you all like it!**

* * *

I clung to him, almost unbelieving that he was here with me. It felt like it had been months since I'd seen him, let alone held him in a tight embrace. He was with me, and that knowledge steadied me unlike anything could have after what I'd been through. He was here, and I knew deep in my heart that nothing was going to hurt me again, not while he was with me. I ignored the stinging in my chest, not wanting to think about all the terrible stuff that had been happening to me lately, all the horrible things I'd foolishly let happen instead of calling Sesshomaru and seeking his help. I thought I'd been protecting everyone I loved, but I know now how inaccurate that was. I'd been harming myself, not opening up to others and the solitude I'd kept myself locked in had nearly killed me, nearly ended my life and any possibility I would have had with Sesshomaru. That I still had, thankfully.

From the way he was clutching me to him and rubbing my back soothingly, I had a feeling he had missed me too. When he whispered into my ear, "I won't leave you again", I knew he had needed me as much as I had needed him. As much as I still needed him, maybe as much as I would always need him. I held him to me tightly, my arms wrapped around his neck, ignoring the way the back of my gown was split open, exposing most of my back and probably the bruises that were spread throughout my skin.

"I missed you so much, Sesshomaru." I had my face nearly buried in his hair, taking care to inhale the soft fragrance of forest, before sighing happily. I had missed that smell, the natural scent of Sesshomaru. After a few more minutes of us just holding one another, the door to the hospital room opened slowly before I heard a squeak of delight and feet shuffling along the tiled floor.

"Oh Rin! I'm so glad you're awake!" Kagome rushed to the side of the bed, practically plucking me out of Sesshomaru's arms and into a fierce hug when I turned from him to smile at her.

"Oomph... Uh, Kagome, I missed you too, but you're putting a lot of pressure on the stab wound."

Kagome nearly threw me away from her as I spoke, no doubt afraid she would rip open the stitches again or something. Speaking of stitches... I pulled the front of my gown, careful to keep my back at Sesshomaru, and my exposed body, looking down the front of my gown and looking at the handiwork of the professionals in the hospital. "Oh wow, that looks like it's been healing for a while. How long have I been asleep?"

"Eight days." Sesshomaru's voice sent a pleasant shiver down my spine and I made sure to lean further into him. I shut my eyes at the warmth of his body before his words sank in and I sat up and looked at both of them.

"Eight days?"

"Well, they put you into a coma to give you a better chance at healing properly. You nearly died Rin." Kagome's eyes filled with tears as she spoke, almost as if she were picturing me dead on an operating table.

"Hey, Kagome, don't cry. I'm fine, see? Everything is okay now." My hand closed around hers, dragging her closer to the bed so we could embrace again. This time, luckily for me, it was a light hug, not something that could crush my bones and make my stitches pop. Wouldn't that have been hilarious? Kagome hugging me so tightly my stitches pop and blood just gushed everywhere? I almost laugh, picturing the look on Kagome's face as it would happen. I furrow a brow, shaking my head at myself in disgust.

Why would I think that would be funny? Morbid, most definitely. Funny? No, not at all. In fact, there was nothing funny about terrifying someone, especially someone you love. I clear my throat, at the same time thinking of something else to say in order to the clear the dark thoughts in my head.

"Well on the bright side, I'm awake and I am starving. Did they not feed me the whole time I was out?"

"Just tube food," Kagome chimed in, smiling happily at me. "If you want I'll grab the doctor and then go find you approved food." My stomach rumbled in appreciation. I felt my cheeks go hot as I cast a look at Sesshomaru, hoping he wouldn't have heard all that. To my shame (and secret delight) his eyes remained fixed on me, almost as if he were afraid looking away would cause me to disappear into a poof of smoke, never to be seen or heard from again. Which was silly, wasn't it? I wasn't going anywhere. My chest ached, no doubt from moving since I'd awoken, the pain making me acutely aware that not only could I actually leave Sesshomaru for good, I nearly had. The thought was enough to send me into Sesshomaru's suit clad body, sitting in his lap and wrapping my arms around him, hugging him close to me.

"What's approved? Like apple sauce and pudding?" I grimaced. "No, I want a cheeseburger. And fries. My gods, yes. Please get me french fries. Oh and a chocolate shake maybe." My stomach growled. "Yeah. No, definitely a chocolate shake. I feel like it's been weeks since I've eaten."

"Because it has been, Rin. Right before you stabbed yourself you had lost about 10 pounds just from a week of not eating. And not sleeping." I furrowed my brow at 'stabbed yourself'. Did they all really think I just stabbed myself with a pair of dull scissors? "The thing we need to focus on now is you getting better. We can all handle this together."

"Kagome... You know I didn't actually stab myself, right? I mean, I tried not to." She cast yet another sympathetic glance in my direction, clearly unbelieving me for whatever reason. I wanted to roll my eyes at her antics, but to be fair, I hadn't disclosed anything to Kagome before I'd nearly died, so why should I expect her to think I hadn't actually done that to myself? "Look... I don't know how to explain it, but Naraku has been in my mind since that night he attacked me. I don't know how he did it, but he was torturing me, making me hallucinate anytime I fell asleep and when I would wake up their would be bruises on the areas of my body that he touched. I wanted to tell you all, but he convinced me that it would be an unwise decision." I cleared my throat, trying to dispel the tears now forming behind my eyes. "I know now how foolish I was, but at the time I thought I was protecting everyone and that was all that mattered."

"What do you mean Naraku has been in your mind? He made you hurt yourself?" Kagome sat in the chair Sesshomaru had been occupying next to my bed, her eyes round with fright.

I shuddered against Sesshomaru before allowing his warmth to soak into my bones, relieving the chill that was forming at the thought of Naraku. "I don't know how he was able to do it, but he was always waiting for me when I went to sleep, threatening me, hurting me, turning any dream I had into my worst nightmare. I wanted to tell you, tell Sesshomaru, but Naraku said he would kill you and the baby. If he could hurt me through a dream... Kagome, I didn't want to do anything that would endanger you or my little niece or nephew. I just couldn't bear the thought of you being hurt. So I didn't say anything."

"I agree. Your attempt to protect others was foolish. You should have informed me at once."

I turned to Sesshomaru, my eyes narrowing in irritation. "Maybe if you had told me you were going to leave me alone, I would have."

"My departure was irrelevant."

"Obviously it wasn't."

Kagome cleared her throat. "Could we please get back to why Naraku decided to have you stab yourself with a pair of scissors?"

"Oh, right. Well, I had taken some pills the past few days to help keep me up, that way I could avoid anything Naraku had in store for me. After a few days of no sleep, I think I went into a type of trance or something, but he got to me. He told me he could control me anytime he wanted and since I had decided to interfere with his plans by avoiding him, it was his turn to punish me. Teach me a lesson. I don't think he wanted to kill me, but I thought I was going to die."

"Oh, Rin... Maybe that was the whole point of Naraku's plan. What's the worst thing he could have done to you in a dream? I think it was to make you believe you were going to die. I don't know if there is anything scarier than that."

"I don't know, 'Gome. I think there are a few things scarier than death." Living without Sesshomaru. Never seeing him again. Knowing I was responsible for the death of the people I loved.

There were plenty of things to frighten me more than the thought of my own death.

"The time to eradicate Naraku is upon us."

I nodded to Sesshomaru in agreement before resting my head on his shoulder and sighing. My body relaxed into his, almost as if it too had been deprived of his presence for far too long.

"I'm going to leave you two alone for a little while. I'll check with the doctor about the food and let the others know you're up but resting. I'll make sure no where bothers you."

And with that, Kagome was gone, the door shutting softly behind her with a subtle click.

"Do you blame me for Naraku?" He asked softly, almost so light the question almost floated past my ear without detection.

"No," I answered back, the sound muffled into his chest as I held him to me.

"I blame myself."

"How could you have possibly known Naraku was capable of such a thing? I didn't. I still don't know how he could control my mind, let alone what I can do to keep him out of it. The only thing I do know was that as soon as I felt your presence, he did too. That was the last time I felt him in my mind. I just hope it lasts."

Sesshomaru's hands rested along my hips, his chest rising and falling against my cheek. I sighed contentedly, wishing we could stay like that forever. We sat like that for a few minutes, neither of us speaking, merely soaking up the atmosphere of one another.

It was hard to think that only a few months ago I hadn't known him, and even now, knowing he was what I wanted for the rest of my life, it was hard to believe there was so much about him I didn't know. That he didn't know about me. In fact, there were only a few kisses between us, a few moments alone, and yet... I wanted to marry him, to spend my life with him, even mate with him if that was something that would work between us. I still didn't know if a mating was what he wanted or if we were as destined as his father seemed to think, the only thing I knew was that I felt that connection all the way down to my bones. I just hoped he did too.

* * *

Another day went by in the hospital before I was released and able to go back home, to the manor. I didn't mention it to anyone, but I was terrified of being back there, being in my room, being in any part of the house without someone there to be with me.

I felt weak as I sat in the car with Sesshomaru, Kagome and Inuyasha. Being sandwiched in-between such strong people should have made me feel stronger. Like I could handle anything. Instead, I felt as if I was clinging hopelessly to the edge of a cliff, one wrong move from losing my grip and plunging over the side and into oblivion.

I took a deep breath and then another as the SUV sped down the deserted back road, taking us further from civilization and closer to the manor. Inuyasha turned the music up in the front before placing both hands back on the wheel, him and Kagome talking quietly in the front.

Although Sesshomaru and I had plenty of space in the back of the SUV, I lingered closely to him, my head resting on his upper arm as I attempted to doze in the back seat. So far, I wasn't having much luck falling asleep, mostly because the closer we came to the manor, the further my mind roamed, thinking of everything that had happened the past few weeks. I nuzzled into Sesshomaru's arm, taking in the scent of him as well as the sheer power he gave off without even trying. Nothing would happen while he was with me. Nothing at all. I knew it in my head as well as my heart and as long as I clung to the knowledge that I was safe, I would hopefully feel that way back at the mansion.

Hopefully.

When we finally pulled up to the manor, I had actually fallen asleep, waking up with my head rested on Sesshomaru's lap, his hand nestled in my hair, playing with the soft black strands. I sighed happily at the feel of his hands running through my hair, wishing I didn't have to get up and go inside the doomsday home.

The car pulled to a stop in front of the door, Kagome and Inuyasha unbuckling their seatbelt and leaving the vehicle, the doors shutting loudly behind them. I sat up groggily, wiping the sleep from my eyes before smiling at Sesshomaru. It was still surprising to fall asleep and be in a dreamless state for hours, only to awakened refreshed. I never knew how much I relied on sleep until it was ripped away from me. Now, any chance I could get to sleep with Sesshomaru in the room, I take it, never knowing when I might be without him.

* * *

We headed up the first flight of stairs in the main hall, Sesshomaru moving silently behind me, his presence helping to soothe my soul. Once we were up the second flight of stairs and walking down the hallway to my bedroom, I felt as if my breath would catch in my throat and I would choke on what little breath I had left in my body. Instead, I breathed evenly in and out, my feet moving steadily in front of me. The carpet that was once in the hallway had been removed, no doubt stained with blood, and in its place lies deep mahogany wood floors, which looks much more sophisticated than the carpet had ever been.

At least one good thing came from nearly bleeding out on the carpet floor, I think to myself and nearly laugh before glaring at the empty space in front of me. I shouldn't laugh at something like that. I seriously almost died. Although, they do say laughter is the best form of medicine. Maybe this is how I've learned to cope; laughing at extremely morbid shit.

Turning right at the door across from Kagome's, I slowly turned the door knob and step into my bedroom, noting how cold the room had become in my absence. The room, despite the chill in the air, was spotless. The bed was made, the walls had been scrubbed free of blood and the floor is like the floor in the hallway. Perfect. I sighed in relief before turning to Sesshomaru and smiling.

"For some reason I thought when I walked in here Naraku would be here waiting for me."

Sesshomaru reached out, placing his palm on my cheek and rubbing his thumb on my skin in a soothing manner. I wanted to sigh into that palm, to tell him I love him and probably always will. That he was my reason for living, even when I should have died. Instead, I place my hand along his, nuzzling into his palm before kissing the center of his hand lightly, wishing it was his lips I was pressing mine against, not his palm.

Almost as if he can read my mind, Sesshomaru moves his palm to the back of my neck, slowly dragging me to him until his body is practically towering over mine, his lips mere inches away from my own.

We stay like that, our eyes locked, bodies slightly touching and lips so close to one another, almost as if we are waiting for the other to make a move. To take it to the next level, and I wanted to. More than anything, but there was something at the back of my mind, warning me away from such intimacy. Telling me that loving him puts him in danger, being near him would only cause Naraku to harm him.

Which was illogical, considering even Naraku was afraid of Sesshomaru. Doesn't that mean Sesshomaru was more powerful than Naraku would ever be? Didn't I already know that? But what if I acted rashly, showed such affection for Sesshomaru and Naraku did something to hurt him? To destroy him?

_Hasn't he already hurt Sesshomaru by hurting you?_ My conscious asked me, clearly wanting me to decide one way or another my course of action.

Then Sesshomaru was pressing his lips into mine, his hands roaming up and down my back as he deepened the embrace, bending me until my back landed softly on the mattress, his large body hovering over mine and then pressing me into the bed, his suit moving like silk across my bare arms. My hands have found their way into his long, silver mane of hair, stroking it delicately before I bit down on his bottom lip and then sucked it into my mouth, moaning when his hips press into mine, my legs wrapping around his waist to encourage him further. I moved my hands, removing his suit jacket in one smooth motion and ripping open his silk shirt, uncaring of the buttons that fly off and scatter around us. We hadn't been truly alone since I woke up, haven't ever been intimate. Now as my hands ran up and down the corded muscles of his back and he pressed further into the junction of my legs, I knew that I wanted to give all of myself to him before the night was over. I nearly died without him, and now I couldn't think of anything else I would rather do than begin to live fully with him. I wanted to be alive, to feel alive, and the only person on the planet I wanted to experience every sensation with was lying on top of me, one of his hands rubbing my nipple through my thin bra, his teeth scraping along my neck and biting down gently. It wasn't enough to pierce my skin, only enough to give me more pleasure than I thought possible from a love bite.

For a while I throw my fears away and just give in to everything I'm feeling with Sesshomaru wrapped around me like a second skin. We touched each other, coaxed each other and after a few more minutes we were both sitting on top of the bed without most of our clothing. I moaned happily as his hands slid over my bare body, the way he kissed my neck causing shivers to work through my body. I wanted more: I wanted everything.

No, I needed everything he could give me, anything he was willing to give me. I reach down with a free hand and touch him, my hand clasping around warm velvet steel, making me moan in anticipation. Sesshomaru breaks away from my neck, his kisses stopping as he stares down at me, breathing slightly heavier than usual.

"Rin. Are you certain?" His voice was harsh against all the gentle touching that has been happening between us. I moved my hand up and down along his flesh, relishing the way his eyes nearly close in pleasure as I caressed him.

"I need you, Sesshomaru." _To breathe. To live. To be._

Sesshomaru's eyes turned a deep shade of red and a growl escaped his lips as he bent down and kissed me deeply.

Then I was lost in feeling.

* * *

More than a few hours later and everything in my body was deliciously sore. I never knew sex could be so explosive, so powerful, and yet I knew Sesshomaru had been gentle with me, afraid of disturbing the stitches on my chest.

Not that I minded, especially considering how thoroughly he had looked after me. And I meant, _thoroughly. _I felt my face heating, even though I'm alone in the ballroom, sitting at my beloved piano bench.

The only thing I've put on is my deep purple kimono silk robe that stops mid thigh. I would have put more clothing on under the robe, but Sesshomaru had informed me we were the only ones in the manor and would be for the rest of the evening, so I hadn't bothered with adding more clothing. Besides, Sesshomaru had already seen me naked, so it wasn't like more clothing was necessary.

I blushed again, thinking about how I also got to see Sesshomaru naked as well. He was built exactly how I imagined and yet so much more than I would have ever expected. His body was muscular and sleek all at once, every part of his body was honed to perfection. I thought he was magnificent as he was, but thinking about him naked and bathing in the moonlight set my blood on fire, made my whole body hot just thinking about what he would look like then.

I turn my attention from thoughts of Sesshomaru's body and focus on the task at hand; playing my piano. I place a finger on one of the keys, stroking it almost like I had stroked Sesshomaru earlier. With care, as if it were my lover.

My hands itch to play the piano in front of me, to run my hands lovingly over the keys and just let myself escape into the beauty of the music I've always enjoyed. Instead, my hands shake like an addict in search of the nearest fix and I rip my hands from the instrument I've loved all my life, folding my hands into my laps and clasping them together in the hopes they'll stop shaking.

I looked away from the piano, my eyes landing on the demon lingering in the large doorway, his hip pressed into the wall, both hands tucked into the pockets of his pants. He's only wearing the pants, his face and upper body currently being soaked up by the moonlight pouring in from the floor length windows across the room. Sesshomaru simply stared at me, almost as if he could do it for weeks and never tire of what he saw. It would be hard to understand if I didn't feel the exact same way about him. Nothing about him could tire me, nothing about him will ever be enough for me.

"I thought I could play something, but..." I've lost the words I need, the silence stretching between us until I break eye contact and look back down at my beloved piano, my eyes burning with unshed tears at the thought of Naraku robbing me of this joy.

Sesshomaru scoots me forward until I'm at the edge of the piano bench, his large body surrounding me, his legs pressing into the outside of each of mine as he sits, straddling me. He takes my shakings hands into his own, prying them apart before placing my fingers on the keys, his resting comfortably above my own.

"Perhaps we could play together." The words caress against my neck as he gently presses a kiss into the smooth column, nearly robbing me of breath. Meanwhile, his fingers caress mine until he eventually lays them flat over mine, his fingers pressing mine down until a first note forms and then another. Soon, a haphazard verse of something that sounds familiar has been played and I turn my head and kiss his chin.

"I didn't realize you played."

"I know a few melodies. I wouldn't consider it playing, however." He lets his hands fall away from mine, his arms wrapping around my waist and pressing my body into his. I lean into him, closing my eyes and listening to the melody over and over again in my head until it finally clicks. I didn't need sheet music for it, I had heard it enough times to replicate it through the keys on the piano.

Soon enough, I've played through most of 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', although I find myself extremely curious as to why he chose to play one of my favorite songs. I stop playing and turn to him, staring up at his deep red eyes, knowing he wants me just as much as I want him.

"I wish I didn't feel so afraid. I know you'll protect me from anything, I just don't know how to keep him out of my mind for good. What if it takes a long time to hunt him down and end him?"

"There is a way to ensure Naraku won't delve into your mind again."

"What is it?"

"My father suggested a mate bond would annihilate the mark Naraku has left on you."

I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know he's put some kind of mark on me?"

Sesshomaru placed a gentle hand on to the spot of my shoulder that has been hurting for weeks. My eyes widened. "I can't believe I didn't piece that together sooner." When he moves his hand away I put mine on the spot that constantly aches, knowing this is where the mark was. This was where he branded me for his own personal torment.

"Do you think you'll actually be able to form a mate bond with me?"

"Do you doubt this Sesshomaru?"

"No, of course not. I just want you to be sure I'm what you want. Your father made a mate bond seem like it was kind of forever. I wouldn't want you to be sick of me in a few weeks."

"You were meant for me. Of that I have no doubt." I smiled up at him. Did he ever doubt anything? The way he was sitting behind me, I kind of have to turn half of my body to get a good look at him, but I knew it would be worth it. Wasn't it always? The way the moonlight hits him, making his eyes shine like rubies. It slays me, how beautiful he has always looked to me. One look at him was enough to take my breath away.

"That doesn't really answer my question. Would you want to be mated to me?" I held my breath, uncertainty clouding my mind even though I knew in my heart it shouldn't. I mean, we just had so much sex my whole body was sore, he was currently straddling me on a piano bench and looking down on me like he was a starved man and I was a juicy steak. I should have felt more confident about what his answer would be, but a part of me knew that if he rejected me I probably wouldn't ever move on from him. Not fully. Wasn't that a pain in the butt?

"Yes." The color of his eyes deepened to almost black, they were so red, and his face shifted subtly, making him more beast than man, but in that moment, I couldn't have cared less.

He just said he wanted to be mine. _Forever. _

I couldn't believe I nearly died, but now knowing how it sped up our relationship so quickly, I couldn't help but feel blessed that I nearly did die. Who knew how long it would have taken to be claimed by him, otherwise? Maybe I could have waited that long, however long it took, but since my whole ordeal without him, I was extremely exhilarated to know I wouldn't have to be without him. Not again.

"So how do we go about creating a mate bond?"

The words are no sooner out of my mouth then I found myself lifted from the bench and sitting at the end of the piano, the keys pressing into my backside in a quick crash of music as Sesshomaru straddled my waist, his hands moving my kimono down past my shoulders until my upper body is completely exposed to him.

"A mate bond is usually sealed with a bite mark. I'll need to bite where Naraku has marked you. It should wipe out the stench of him from you permanently." His voice comes out guttural, almost as if it hurt him to speak, but I just nodded my head in understanding, tilting my neck to the side to give him better access to what needed to be done. What had to be done.

Sesshomaru kissed my cheek, my jaw, his lips moving slowly down my neck until they hovered towards the middle of my shoulder, just above my collarbone and right on top of the mark Naraku left behind.

His hands squeezed my waist into his body, bringing my bare chest into the heat of his and then I felt a graze of teeth. Then a sharp bite as his teeth bit into my flesh, his lips closing over my skin. My head fell back and I groan, although I wasn't sure if it was from pain or pleasure.

A few seconds into the bite and I was not sure it had worked. I didn't feel any different, I felt exactly the same. I opened my mouth to speak when I was hit by such a wave of euphoria my whole body shuddered.

So many emotions rush past, all of them passionate and intense. None of them were mine. I could feel Sesshomaru in almost every way and the connection was amazing.

I hoped it never ended.

* * *

**Please leave me a review! Hopefully you liked the progression of this story. :)**

**-Mo**


	12. SORRY ABOUT THE WAITING GAME

**Hey guys! I really need to apologize for such a terribly long hiatus! I promise it hasn't been because I've lost interest in writing these stories; my laptop decided to stop working and it's taken me months to finally decide to shell out some major dough on a new one (one that I am currently, and very happily, writing from right now!). Anywhoo, I hope that I'll have another chapter for at least one of my stories up and running by late this weekend. Fingers crossed this works out! Thank you all so much for being so loyal and dedicated to the fanfics that I put out. It really means a lot. :)**

**Mo**


	13. Chapter 13

**_Two months later..._**

"Oh come on Kagome, you don't look like a whale." I tried to keep my laughter in, but it was tough, what with Kagome struggling to fit into her old pair of blue jeans, an obviously growing baby bump preventing the pants from buttoning properly.

Kagome's eyes narrowed in the mirror as she watched me smiling ear to ear. I wanted to feel bad for Kagome. I REALLY DID. It was just extremely difficult to do so when I was so happy for her and when my own life was so great. Could I really find it in my heart to feel sorry for her when she was creating no doubt a beautiful baby in her body? My own flesh and blood? I was going to be an aunt! No way was I feeling bad for her in the slightest.

"Oh stop looking so cranky. You're the one who decided to sleep with Inuyasha. A LOT. You can't be mad when you get knocked up as a direct result of the 'play time'."

Kagome gave up on the jeans, taking them off and heading to her closet, grabbing a loose fitting skirt and sliding it up her legs and around her waist. Then she turned and looked at me and smirked. "I'm the one having too much _play time_? The way you and Sesshomaru go at it I'm surprised you aren't knocked up with at least triplets. AT LEAST."

I swatted at her arm, gasping in mock outrage. "Don't you wish that evil on me, Kagome!" Three babies at once? God, the thought nearly made me faint dead on the spot. Would I wake up on the floor of Kagome's spacious room or in the arms of my soon to be husband?... Was passing out in her bedroom worth it in order to find out? Maybe.. I mean, I hadn't seen Sesshomaru in a few hours.

I looked down at my watch, sighing when I noticed the time. I'd been without him for nearly four whole hours. How had I managed to pass that much time without even speaking with him?

"Oh no you don't, Rin." Kagome snapped her fingers in front of my face, effectively bringing my mind back to the present. "You need to stop zoning out and thinking about the next time you can get some hanky panky, alright? I'm having a _crisis_ here." Kagome gestured at her body with her hands.

I rolled my eyes again, still not seeing exactly what Kagome apparently found so obvious. "Kagome, for the last time! You don't look any different!" I took a closer look, noticing her boobs were having a hard time fitting nicely into her v-neck shirt and that her loose fitting skirt was slightly tight around her mid section. "Well... Okay, maybe we could steal one of Sesshomaru's cars and go on a little shopping spree? There's bound to be some maternity stores in the city. We could even make a day out of it!" The thought of being away from Sesshomaru for at least five to six more hours nearly made my heart ache, but I'd be out with Kagome. It would be fine. Right? I mean, I was an independent woman. I didn't _need _a man. Except that ever since Sesshomaru and I became mated, I was finding it increasingly difficult to go without a few hours without constantly thinking about him and how he was, or wondering if I could sneak into his building at work and possibly molest him...

Which made me think of the first few weeks we'd been mated and I'd done exactly that. Stalked into the building he worked at, followed the elevator up to the top floor, waited politely until his meeting with whoever was over and then I'd practically jumped his bones. It had been a wonderful few hours. And then it happened the next day. And the next. And the next, until finally I'd decided being needy was something I didn't feel comfortable with, and that I needed to change my behavior.

At least while he was at work.

I was pretty sure Sesshomaru missed it though. I knew I did.

Sigh.

"Seriously, come back to me Rin. I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall." Kagome let out a frustrated huff of breath before tugging at the waist of her skirt, trying to stretch the material into a more comfortable fit.

I shook my head, trying to bring my thoughts back to the present. The thought of Sesshomaru naked and over me had me nearly drooling until Kagome swatted my arm, bringing me back to the current predicament.

"I'm really sorry, Kagome. How about we grab our phones and purses and head on out? I'll drive and you can just sit back and relax. Sound good?"

"Yes!" Kagome bounced happily from my side, grabbed her belongings and bounced back to her original position near me. "Do you think we can stop and grab a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake on the way?"

Eating fast food in one of Sesshomaru's expensive cars? "Sure, why not?" I said aloud, already feeling slightly nervous for pulling such a stunt.

"Okay then, let's go clothes shopping!"

* * *

Sesshomaru was going to kill me. Or maybe he would just Kagome. Or both of us. Either way, he would not be pleased with us.

I looked back down at the stained floorboards of his new Audi, gulping at all the melted chocolate ice cream that was starting to fade into the buttercream carpet.

"I'm really sorry about spilling my shake," Kagome muttered again, clearly not enjoying my pale complexion or wide set eyes.

"No, no it's okay. I just forgot to tell Sesshomaru we were going out and I especially forgot to mention I would be taking his car and driving us around. I mean, generally you and I just grab one of the chauffeur's and head out, but I wanted some time alone with just you and me." And when I said 'chauffeur' what I really meant was 'bodyguard'. And it hadn't really been an accident that made me leave the bodyguard behind. It had been the fact that I felt suffocated with them constantly following me around. Didn't I deserve a little bit of privacy every once in a while? They were like a damn itch I was having a really hard time scratching.

"I'm sure he won't mind that you're getting out of the house." He wouldn't mind **with **a bodyguard. I knew without a doubt he was going to be piiiiissed when her found out I'd practically snuck out of the mansion and hadn't even bothered to call him.

"I know, but ever since all that nonsense with Naraku, I don't want to cause him any reason to worry, you know?" Even though I'd slept peacefully ever since Sesshomaru and I had effectively worn away Naraku's mark on me. I knew he was still worried about what might happen to me while I was out of his sight.

"Let's just enjoy the day, Rin! Whenever we get to a parking spot you can always send him a text message or a give him a quick call and let him know what we're up to." SURE. And I was sure that would be a disaster.

"Yeah, I hadn't actually thought about that."_ Yes I had._ I laughed at the look Kagome shot my way before focusing on the road ahead. "So what all are you wanting to look at when we get into the city?"

"I don't know. I'm thinking some skirts, jeans, shirts, maybe some shoes."

"Oh wow. So like an entire wardrobe! Which makes sense, considering your body is about to start changing."

"About to start?! I'm practically a blob already!"

"Oh for the love of God, Kagome. YOU LOOK FINE." I slowed down at a red light, waiting patiently as the oncoming traffic took their turn. In truth, I was feeling a bit woozy, knowing I had kind of gone behind Sesshomaru's back, taken one of his vehicles and gone off somewhere without actually informing him of doing so. I was just... I was just so frustrated with being treated as if I were made out of glass I thought I would scream if I had one more escort follow me around just for going to do something simple, like shopping. The light flashed yellow and I sighed before easing back into traffic and towards the nearest mall.

"Look, Rin. Maybe one day when you're growing a part demon baby inside your womb, you'll understand my dilemma."

"It's just weird that you're already showing so much." I answered her, my mind on Sesshomaru and how dreamy I thought he was. And by the way, his butt was even more distracting when he didn't have clothes covering it. I sighed again, but this time it was content and not at all nervous.

"You said you couldn't tell!" Kagome shrieked, nearly causing me to swerve the expensive vehicle into the next lane. I squeezed my hands along the steering wheel, hoping my hearing would come back in a few seconds.

For the love of Gods! I knew Kagome was going through something, but SHE NEARLY MADE ME WRECK THE CAR. We could have been hurt or worse! I turned slightly to glare at the hyperventilating woman in front of me and I almost, ALMOST, felt a shred of sympathy for her. Then I thought about never seeing Sesshomaru's delicious ass again and my eyes narrowed even further as I turned my focus back on the road.

With the ringing fresh in my ears I decided maybe a bit of payback was in order.

"I just meant that you could have more than one in there."

Kagome's face paled. "Mo-ore than one?" Her voice caught on the first word and her hand came to her chest as she fell back into her seat. "I hadn't thought about having more than one."

"I doubt you are, but you never know. Besides, considering Inuyasha is a _dog _demon, it definitely makes sense that there would be more than one pup in there." To be fair, I didn't actually think Kagome was going to have more than one baby, but the look on her face was priceless. As she wailed in denial I smirked and turned into the parking lot, not even caring that I might have just ruined her day.

Okay, I cared a little.

* * *

"Oh wow, Kagome! You look amazing!"

And she really did.

Kagome spun around in a slow circle for me, her white and pink maxi dress flowing around her in a soft wave, making her look almost ethereal. I couldn't have imagined her looking any more gorgeous; what with her face a nice healthy glow, her dress emphasizing the smallness of her waist and making her cleavage look even more than it already was.

_Maybe I needed something like that. _

I shook my head at the thought, knowing it wasn't fair to Kagome especially considering this was her day out. I didn't need to go on a shopping bender and buy myself a bunch of clothes I didn't need. Or a new purse. Or a bunch of shoes. Right? Nooooooo. No way.

And I most definitely did not need the entire blu ray collection of Lost Girl. Or a brand new flat screen TV to go into Sesshomaru's bedroom when I stayed over with him (which was pretty much every single night).

The last time I'd gone out shopping, which had been a long while now that I thought about it, it was a fiasco. Sesshomaru had hired some demon whose name i hadn't remembered to be my bodyguard, and all he had done was glare in my direction every time I'd lifted a blouse up for inspection. Every time I'd gazed adoringly at a new pair of flats or when something sparkly caught my eye.

I'd felt like a bimbo with Sesshomaru's plastic and with an onlooker staring at me scornfully, I'd balked and forbidden myself from shopping for anything that wasn't a necessity.

With no one to stare at me in reproach, I was finding it definitely more difficult to resist all of the temptations staring at me in the face. I JUST WANTED TO SHOP SO BAD.

Would Sesshomaru really mind?

I mean, come on. Would he? _Would he?_

I knew the answer, which generally would have been no. Of course he wouldn't give a crap if I bought something. Hell, if I decided to spend thousands of dollars on handbags and jewelry I doubt it would even be a glitch in his bank account. BUT, given that I'd gone out without a guard and kept it from him would probably lose me some serious brownie points when it came to shopping. I would probably call him in the next twenty to thirty minutes, just to let him know what was going on. No need having him worry.

"I think we should definitely add this to the pile of goods!" Kagome twirled happily again before disappearing back into the changing room, leaving me alone with my guilty thoughts.

"Do you think I should call Sesshomaru?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you haven't done it already since you can't go like ten seconds without gazing wistfully off into the distance." Her voice came back slightly disgruntled, which meant she was probably trying to squeeze back into her uncomfortable clothes.

"Just keep that outfit on and wear it out of the store." A sales clerk turned and cleared her throat to get my attention. Then she shook her head at me. "I meant after she buys it, obviously." My voice squeaked, making me sound more and more guilty. I could feel my face flame in embarrassment. The clerk merely arched a haughty eyebrow in my direction and spun on her heel, disappearing into the back room.

Geez. Did they just expect people to rob them blind all day, every day?

"I think I'm ready to go to the next store!" Kagome called out gleefully before practically bursting through the dressing room curtain and into the main area of the store.

_Thank God,_ I thought as the clerk came back from the back room, the manager hot on her heels.

I bounced up and smiled happily before either of them could say anything. "Hi! Is it alright if my sister wears this outfit out? We're maternity clothes shopping and she feels so much better with your clothes on that what she was wearing when we came in." I shot a smug look to the clerk when I reached into my bag and handed her the black AMEX card with my name on. "Did you need to see my ID or will the card alone be fine?"

The manager snatched the card away and smiled back in our direction. "No ID will be necessary Ms. Higurashi. Patricia, go to the back and sort our new arrivals after you take their purchases to the front." With that, the manager ushered her wayward employee away from us, no doubt eager to complete the sale of all Kagome's new clothes. I let out a small sigh of relief and then shook my head at Kagome's confused expression, the look in my eye promising that I would explain everything when we were out of the store.

Once Kagome's clothing items were purchased, we exited the store, bags in hand.

"You really didn't have to buy me any of these clothes, Rin. You know Inuyasha has plenty of money."

"I know," I replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and giving her a side hug. "I just wanted to get you a little something. Consider it the first of many gifts for you and your triplets."

"I'm not having triplets!"

And with Kagome chasing me throughout the mall in anger, Sesshomaru was, for the first time since I met him, completely out of my thoughts.

* * *

"Oh my God. I'm dead. I'm worse than dead. I'll be banished to the basement, forced to hide from any and all outdoor activities and to live my life solely as Sesshomaru sex slave."

Kagome snorted. "For some reason I don't think you would mind that too much."

Well, okay. If it was voluntary banishment, then I would absolutely love just being a crazed sex fiend for months on end. However, Sesshomaru was going to be pissed.

My phone had gone missing, I had completely forgotten to call Sesshomaru and to make matters worse, Kagome and I had completely lost track of time, and we had been at the mall for nearly 5 hours. Sesshomaru was probably on his way home by now. He was probably extremely frantic, no doubt thinking something terrible had happened to me.

"Besides, if Sesshomaru really needed to reach you, he would have asked Inuyasha if he'd seen you, and Inuyasha would have called me since he knew we'd gone shopping together."

Huh. I cast her a sidelong glance, hoping my newfound irritation wouldn't be noticeable.

If Kagome was right, and she probably was, that had to have meant Sesshomaru either didn't know I was missing from the manor, or he didn't care. Well, surely he cared, right? I should have been jumping up and down in glee, knowing I'd escaped the harsh anger of Sesshomaru (not that he'd ever been angry at me). Instead, I was bummed because he still didn't know I'd been out all day with Kagome.

God, how irrational could I be?

"I really want a pretzel and cheese sauce."

"Alright, sounds good. But we need to get the hell home after that. We still have around an hour long drive and we haven't even thought about rush hour traffic."

"Oh yeah, I didn't even think about that!"

Twenty minutes later we were on the road, full of pretzels with hot cheese. The back of the car was practically stuffed with all of our purchases throughout the day. Some had been maternity wear, but the longer we shopped, the more we bought things we didn't really need. It had been pretty exhilarating if I was being honest with myself. I even got Sesshomaru a t-shirt I thought would be hilarious, but considering I had kind of snuck out of the manor, he might not be inclined to wear it for a while.

I focused ahead at the traffic that was piling up, knowing it would be at least a twenty minute delay until we were on the right highway back to the house.

Just as I was thinking how glad I was no one had called us, Kagome's phone began to ring ominously. Muffled by her purse that was somewhere on the ground, it took a few moments to realize where the noise was coming from.

"Your phone is ringing, Gome."

"What? It is? Oh, I hear it!" Kagome reached down, struggling slightly over the small swelling of her belly. After a grunt of exertion, Kagome reached into her handbag and pulled out her iPhone, squinting at the screen. "I don't recognized the number."

"Here, I'll sync your phone to the car stereo and we can answer the call and hear who it is." I pressed a few buttons, smiling when the ringing started throughout the car before I hit 'ok', letting the phone call to be picked up.

At first there was just silence, almost as if no one was even breathing on the other end.

"I don't think anyone is there, Kagome."

"_Rin._"

I nearly swerved the car, shocked to hear Sesshomaru's voice coming from all around us, courtesy of the bluetooth in the car.

"Uh." Shit, shit, shit. Did he sound angry? Hell yes he did. "Hey, baby! I was just thinking about you." I tried to make my voice sound dreamy and not at all nervous. Maybe if I made him think I didn't think I was doing anything, well, deceptive, he would be okay. And a tiny, terrible part of me was happy he'd been wondering where I was. What was wrong with me?

"_I've been attempting to reach you._"

"I lost my phone while we've been out, so I wasn't able to message you."

"_Come home."_ There was a strange click and the line went dead, silence filling the car before Kagome sent a sad look my way.

"I think he might be upset with you."

I looked at the standstill traffic, smacking my head into the steering wheel and then sighing. "I think you might be right."


	14. Chapter 14

**So, much to my shameful internet's delight, most of what I'd had written for this chapter was lost in the great internet abyss when I attempted to save it right as my internet decided to go down. -.-  
****I can't say that was very pleasing, especially since I was in such a good flow with this chapter. So if you read some of it and think, 'wow this seems a bit forced', IT'S BECAUSE I ATTEMPTED TO RECREATE AN AWESOME CHAPTER AND HAVE POSSIBLY FAILED MISERABLY. So I hope you all like it, if not then my internet and I apologize for the smeh-ness of it all. :(**

* * *

The rest of the drive home was made in almost complete silence. Except for the huffing and irritated puffing of Kagome in the seat next to me, I might have forgotten she was with me. I was so focused on the roads and keeping away from as much traffic as possible, I ended up taking several detours before we finally made it close enough to the manor that the city lights faded away into the background. The only thing that lit our path along the ever extending blackness was the headlights shining brightly into the darkness, almost as if those beams could keep away whatever lurked beyond the safety of the vehicle.

_You know what's lurking out there. He's big and bad and is probably super angry with you._

I sighed to myself, letting my inner monologue chastise me for my reckless behavior. And was it _actually _so reckless? I'd gone out with Kagome to shop around for clothing that fit her. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but I knew Sesshomaru might not want me out on a girls trip without the proper escorts, so I'd stolen from the manor like a thief in the night, wanting nothing more than a semblance of normalcy, even if my life wasn't like that anymore.

_See? Reckless, you putz. _

I sighed again, this time loudly enough that my companion turned to my direction and spoke up.

"I think we should get married as soon as possible." I cast a wary glance in her direction before plastering a smile on my face.

"Listen Kagome, I love you and everything, but I'm pretty sure if I married you that it wouldn't even be legal. Not to mention you're not my type." _Long silver haired gods were my type, unfortunately for my health and mental stability. _

Man, I couldn't even make it more than 30 minute without hearing his voice and I found myself missing him more than I had earlier in the day. What a sad excuse of a modern woman I was.

"Oh haha." Kagome smacked my arm, causing the wheel to tug slightly to the right before I got it fully back under control. I cast her an anxious glance, unbelieving she'd hit me so hard I could have lost control of the car. Ignoring my angry glare, Kagome fluffed her hair while looking into a mirror, making sure all the strands were in place when she came home to Inuyasha. "I'm serious about us getting these marriages out of the way. I don't want to get married and look more like a balloon."

"I thought you were wanting to wait until you had the baby before you got married?" Hadn't she just mentioned that earlier in the day?

"Yeah, I thought about it, but no way am I having this kid out of wedlock. Inuyasha hasn't mated with me like Sesshomaru has with you, so I think I need more assurance than his word."

"But isn't his word what should really matter?"

"Oh Rin. You're so young!"

"I'm like a year younger than you." Besides, I was practically married already. Didn't that make me the more mature one just on principle?

Then I remembered two days ago snorting a sip of coca-cola out of my nostril because Sesshomaru had made me laugh about something ridiculous mid-drink. He'd been acting all graceful and smooth, his general demeanor, but had ended up slipping on a white piece of paper that blended in with the white tile, causing him to slide half a foot. Trying to catch himself, he'd completely forgotten about the bowl of chili in his hands, which splattered all over his crisp, silk white button up shirt and landed all over his pants as well.

I'd been so hysterical that I'd cried for a solid two minutes, completely ignoring the menacing demeanor my mate had on when he sauntered in my direction. Then he'd smacked me in the face with a pillow from the couch in the living room.

I shook my head, trying my best not to laugh as I remembered everything from the night before.

So I supposed being married didn't necessarily mean anyone was more mature than the other. STILL. Kagome needed to make up her damn mind.

"Okay, look." I said aloud, cutting off Kagome's babbling. "We need to figure out what to do about this whole thing. Either we get married ASAP, which is fine with me, or we wait until you pop this little guy, or girl, out and then get married, which is also fine with me. Whichever decision you choose, I support. But time is ticking little lady, so you better have a decision for me by the time I park this car at the manor, do you understand?"

"Yes, mom." Kagome rolled her eyes before poking her tongue out at me and crossing her arms in front of her chest, mimicking me perfectly when I was younger.

"Thank you, young lady."

Too soon we crept up the long gravel drive, past the main gate. I crept the car further, hoping to go slow, but not so slow it would be discernible to anyone, ahem Sesshomaru, who might have been watching. Once the wheels hit smooth concrete, I knew there was no escaping what lurked within the entry way.

Would he be waiting to pounce on me as soon as I walked through the door? Or would he be playing it cool and no where to be found, ensuring I'd have to hunt him down just so he could reprimand me? Hmmm. The possibilities could have been endless.

Kagome and I stepped from the car, both moving for the clothing items before Kagome thought better of it and smiled in my direction. "All this lifting could be bad for the baby. I'm sure Inuyasha wouldn't mind carrying a few bags for me, would he?"

_Man, Kagome was vicious. _There must have been at least a dozen bags of various sizes and heaviness, but I supposed Inuyasha knew what he was getting in to with this marriage, so why not?

"They're your bags. My flimsy sacks are nothing compared to the greatness that is now your wardrobe."

Kagome adjusted her new outfit and smiled back at me. "And don't you forget it, missy."

I snorted and rolled my eyes as she practically pranced up the stone steps leading inside.

"Wait! You didn't tell me your answer on when it's all going to take place."

"Oh yeah!" Kagome turned around and gave me a thumbs up. What was that supposed to mean? "Let's do this as soon as possible! I'm thinking like next week. Maybe sooner! I can't get fitted for a dress if this thing keeps growing so fast!" And with that she pushed open the door and stepped inside, the light from the entryway shining down on me like a homing beacon.

Next week? _NEXT WEEK?!_

Holy crap, there was going to be so much to do! Dresses, rings, tuxedos, flowers, bouquets, caterers, decorators, wedding planners and more. She wanted to get all of that done in a week?! We didn't even have a location picked out, unless we just used the ballroom in the main manor house, which would make sense and hopefully wouldn't be a problem if there were going to be guests arriving.

Then again, how many guests would there actually be? Kagome and I didn't plan on inviting anyone. Not my aunt, that was for sure. I'd rather have a damn heart attack in my 20s then ever see that retched woman again in my life.

I sighed, woeful at the prospect of planning a wedding in less than a months time. It would be one thing if I had plenty of time to plan. Then I'd be floating on a cloud of excitement about pending nuptials. Instead, I was already dreading the next several days as I trudged up the stairs, following after Kagome's faint footsteps that led into the mansion.

* * *

"Rin."

Sesshomaru's voice sent trimmers of delight up my spine, the tingling sensation spreading all the way to the top of my head, making me feel light and airy.

Part of me hoped that one day the tingly sensation would stop, mostly because it was incredibly unnerving, but another part of me felt that the shock losing its touch would be the bond weakening, and I definitely didn't want that.

"Hey, Sesshomaru." I walked up to him and planted a kiss softly to his lips, pretending to not notice the stiffness in his shoulders, or the slight growl that left his lips when I slipped away from him, as if he was reluctant to let me step away from him.

"I assume the shopping was uneventful." He took my small bags and deposited them onto a nearby table top, careful of the contents within.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you we were going out," I looked him in the eye before running my hands through my hair and sighing. "I know being safe is a high priority, especially for you after everything that's happened since we met, but all the guarding is driving me crazy. I mean, like completely bonkers." I threw my hands into the air to emphasize my point. "If you're not with me, you've got at least two other demons hanging around, barely giving me enough room to breathe. I don't even want to the leave the property, because of the constant shadowing. So this morning Kagome was feeling down in the dumps because none of her clothes fit," at that point my words were blowing by at a mile a minute and I was barely inhaling as I spoke. "so I figured, why not just go out on the town, just the two of us? So I did. And I should have told you, obviously and I wanted to, but I also knew you'd tightened the reigns and make whoever was around come with us and I didn't want that. So yes, it was diabolical and mean and I shouldn't have done it, and I'm sorry it hurt your feelings, but I needed a breather, so I took one."

I took a deep breath all at once, settling down into a chair and smiling wanly up at him.

"Perhaps you were right in keeping this to yourself."

"I'm sorry... What?" Surely he hadn't just agreed with me. There couldn't have been any way I'd actually avoided an argument, especially when I'd come out on top right through the gate.

"Perhaps I have been too possessive with your safety as of late."

"Exactly," I agreed, although I felt like something disastrous was on the verge of happening. I narrowed my eyes at him. "So you know that maybe it's time to reign in all the demonic bodyguards?"

"I would give you human bodyguards if I thought they were capable of fending off Naraku." I rolled my eyes.

"So why are you being so agreeable about all of this now? You've been pretty adamant about my safety since the incident with Naraku."

"Since you were almost murdered?" His lip lifted into a silent snarl before his normal blank expression settled over his features. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to not think about everything that had happened a few months ago.

"Well... Yeah. I mean, I understand why you're nervous about something else happening, but we both know becoming mates has probably kept Naraku from getting inside my mind. And I can bet that he won't be getting in there again. I'm stronger now than I was then." _Because of you,_ I wanted to say.

The thought passed between us regardless of whether or not I said it aloud, and my cheeks heated with the intimacy behind the act. In fact, other parts of me were beginning to heat from the nearness of Sesshomaru.

He was wearing a slate grey suit, a black silk shirt and a deep purple silk tie. My mouth dried the same time my womb clenched, making me well aware that I hadn't been with Sesshomaru sexually in nearly 24 hours, which had to have been the longest we'd gone without sex since we became mated.

His eyes flashed red before settling back to their normal golden hue and my expression turned from lust to one of confusion.

Why had he agreed so quickly with me about dropping the body guards?

"Wait. What's the catch to ditching the guards?" My tone held a definite amount of suspicion in it.

"My mother has become adamant that meeting you is a priority."

My mouth dropped open in shock. His mother? _Oh God. _

"I take it you've decided she and I will be meeting soon?" My heart skipped a beat, almost as if it could sense impending doom.

It was a well known fact that Sesshomaru's mother was not fond of humans, especially after Lord Inu Taisho had left her for one and had a second son, something Sesshomaru's mother was never able to grant him.

"I understand your hesitation, but a meeting will be necessary at some point before our wedding, whenever a date is decided."

_Oh God,_ I thought in more earnest. I was going to have to plan a wedding in week and _also _meet a woman who could snap me like a twig with one hand tied behind her back?

"About the wedding... Kagome has decided she wants us all to get married before the child is born, and she has decided that sooner is definitely better than later. So I guess I'm going to meet your mother and possibly be eaten right after I find a wedding dress and get all this planned out."

"Do you believe I would ever allow another to harm you?" I rolled my eyes at his condescending tone.

"Of course not. Although it is a bit concerning knowing that you might turn into a giant demonic dog and devour your own mom if she tries to kill me." Instantly I thought of a giant, white cartoon dog taking a big bite out of an anonymous woman. The thought was so vivid and sudden I nearly burst into laughter. As it was, a snicker slipped past me and Sesshomaru raised his eyebrows at me, indicating he was also sharing the image with me.

"My mother isn't a concern at the moment." He stepped closer to me, looming over until I looked up into his eyes. "Kagome is certain of her decision, but are you? Anytime you desire to wed, we will do so, however, I am not one to cow down to the wishes of others, especially if their decision does not work well enough with you."

"Aw, that's the sweetest thing you've said to me all day."

"This is the first time we've spoken since I left for work."

I stood up, heat filling my gaze as I looked at him. "I need you." I whispered the words up at him, enjoying the way his eyes shifted colors and his nostrils flared in anticipation. Then he was swinging me up into his arms and we were consumed by a white light. A moment later the light was gone and we were over a mile away from the mansion, in Sesshomaru's own home, my back pressing against the mattress to our bed.

"Then you will have me." He didn't waste any more time as his lips met mine, leaving no more room for talking.

* * *

_I stay up too late_  
_Got nothing in my brain_  
_That's what people say_  
_That's what people say_

I twirled around in a giant circle, my socks helping me to slide around on the hardwood floors in one of the living rooms. I was currently trying to find a pair of shoes I'd intended to wear and instead my iPod had lulled me into a dance frenzy. That, plus the thick socks I had on were making sliding around the living room and rocking out to T-Swift well worth a day to myself.

_I go on too many dates_  
_But I can't make them stay_  
_At least that's what people say_  
_That's what people say_

I flung my arms out as I spun, singing at the top of my lungs as the beat kept a steady rhythm. I swayed my hips to the frantic beat, hoping to keep my body in tune with the music. I couldn't say that I was generally such a big fan of Taylor Swift's love ballads, but this song made me want to dance and have no cares in the world, and that was something magical when it came to music. I had no problem relishing the music and blasting the volume as high as it would go, closing my eyes and spinning around to face the other room where my shoes might have been hiding.

_But I keep cruising_  
_Can't stop, won't stop moving_  
_It's like I got this music_  
_In my mind, saying it's gonna be alright_

_Cause the players gonna play, play, play_  
_And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate_  
_Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake_  
_Shake it off_

I shook my hands like I was getting rid of something pesky. As I did this and sang, I wandered into the next room, a large dining area full of deep mahogany furniture and plush white carpet that practically dared someone to spill a drop of red wine on it.

_Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break_  
_And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake_  
_Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake_  
_Shake it off, Shake it off_

_I never miss a beat_  
_I'm lighting up my feet_

I jumped on my tip toes before jumping forward.

_And that's what they don't see_  
_That's what they don't see_

I shook my finger in agreement.

_I'm dancing on my own_  
_I make the moves as I go_  
_And that's what they don't know_  
_That's what they don't know_  
_But I keep cruising_

_Can't stop, won't stop grooving_  
_It's like I got this music_  
_In my mind, saying it's gonna be alright_  
_Cause the players gonna play, play, play_

_And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate_  
_Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake_  
_Shake it off_  
_Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break_  
_And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake_  
_Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake_  
_Shake it off, Shake it off_

_Hey, hey, hey_  
_Just think while you been getting down and out about the liars_  
_And the dirty dirty cheats of the world_  
_You could have been getting down to this sick beat_

_My ex man brought his new girlfriend_  
_She's like oh my god_  
_But I'm just gonna shake_  
_And to the fella over there with the hella good hair_  
_Won't you come on over baby we could shake, shake_

_Cause the players gonna play, play, play_  
_And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate_  
_Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake_  
_Shake it off. Shake it off_  
_Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break_  
_And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake_  
_Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake_

I turned again, squealing in shock as I took in the large figure before me. I threw my hand over my heart and sucked in a deep breath, feeling immediately light headed and thrown off my game.

I ripped my headphones from my ears, barely paying attention as they dangled at my sides, still playing the last of that Taylor Swift song.

"What are you doing home?"

Sesshomaru smirked at me, setting down a briefcase that had been clutched casually in his hand. Stepping closer to me, Sesshomaru began to adjust his tie, before removing it and letting it drop to the floor. Next came his suit jacket. Then he began to unbutton his shirt, all the while moving with an animal like grace in my direction.

_Shake it off, Shake it off_  
_Shake it off_  
_Shake it off_

"Um. Sesshomaru?" My voice came out softly, almost like I couldn't believe what was happening to me. Which I couldn't. Wasn't he supposed to be at work for another six hours? I would have looked at my watch for the current time, but I was afraid of looking away for an instant, only to find him gone when I looked back up.

_Shake it off_

His shirt came away from him, sinking leisurely to the floor, almost like it was on a cloud. His muscular chest was exposed, flexing as he reached out for me, his hand caressing the side of my face.

_Shake it off_

"I have need of you."

"Oh," was all I could think to say. Which was enough as he lowered his head to mine.

* * *

**Yay, I finally managed to do two chapters in like a month! I'm definitely trying to get back into writing more frequently, but life has a way of taking up a lot of my writing time lately. On the bright side, I got a new job and am already getting promoted! On the night so bright side, it's very time consuming, though rewarding. ANYWHO, here is to hoping I'm able to keep this writing streak going and I'm also able ****to keep everyone interested :)**

**Feel free to leave any comments for me, I always love to read them :)**


	15. Chapter 15

I woke up quickly, sucking in a lungful of air, releasing it slowly before I looked around the large room and groaned. Sesshomaru was no where in sight, but I could hear the shower going in the next room, meaning he was already up and preparing for the day. I, on the other hand, couldn't have been more ill prepared for the days festivities. Meeting Sesshomaru's mother? God. I didn't want to, which made me feel awful for thinking that. Or, it would have made me feel awful, had Sesshomaru not snarled while on the phone with her, called her an 'insufferable wench' after he hung up and declared she was the worst being he'd ever encountered in his long life. Things like that tended to make a woman dread meeting future in-laws, especially when they were literally demons.

It figured that Sesshomaru's step mother would be so lovely and Lord Inu Taisho was equally as wonderful. There had to be a bad apple somewhere, didn't there? Yeah, obviously, I should have realized that I couldn't be the only one with horrendous relatives. I was just kind of hoping Sesshomaru was so much older that his scary relations had already keeled off a hundred years ago or so. Unfortunately, said relation was definitely still kicking, definitely still menacing and definitely 'looking forward' to meeting me today for brunch.

Groaning again, I grabbed the thick comforter that was covering most of my body and pulled it up and up until he cleared my head, giving me a terrible hiding place, but a hiding place nonetheless. Maybe if I just hid under the covers when Sesshomaru came out, he wouldn't notice I was lurking in the room and leave me be.

I snorted softly to myself, knowing how dumb that sounded. Sure, my sexy demon lover wouldn't notice a human, Rin-sized lump buried beneath of blanket of covers in the exact same spot he'd left me.

A few more minutes of dreading my upcoming plans meant that I didn't hear the shower turn off, nor did I notice the absolute silence that filled the room until the comforter was ripped off the bed and my future husband stood next to my side of the bed, rivulets of water dripping down his chest from his damp, long hair as he stared down on me. His face looked unreadable, as usual, but his eyes practically smoldered down at my scantily clad form. I wasn't much better, eying his glistening chest like I'd never seen him without clothing before. I was even tempted to drool.

"I can sense your unease, mate." The words were nearly growled from his chest, sending shivers of delight down my spine, my plight momentarily forgotten.

"Hm?" I asked, sitting up to run my hands up his stomach, over his pectorals and wrapping them around his neck, pressing his nude body against my tank top clad form. "I miss you when you're gone." I murmured into his ear before nipping it gently, enjoying the stillness of his body before his arms wrapped around my waist.

"I was less than twenty feet from you." His words were harsh, but his hands began to reach under my shirt, rubbing my lower back soothingly.

"That's too far and you know it." I kissed his ear, his cheek, his chin, finally reaching his neck and kissing and biting it gently. His hands tightened roughly on my waist before I stood up enough to wrap my legs around his hips, pressing myself against his hard length. "Mmm." I murmured. "Good morning to you too, mate."

Sesshomaru made a small groaning noise deep in his throat before his hands cupped my ass. "Rin." The words dragged out of his mouth, almost as if it hurt him to talk. "We must be getting ready."

I rocked my hips against him, enjoying the way his breath stopped for a moment. "I'm already ready for you."

Sesshomaru growled, slamming me onto the bed and running his hands all over my body, kissing me fiercely as he removed the little clothing I had on, inserting his fingers in to me to test how ready I actually was.

I moaned softly at the invasion, arching my bank to meet his fingers, moaning happily when he kissed my breasts and then my neck.

"Please, Sesshomaru. I need you." My body practically hummed in delight from his ministrations, the mate bond alive and throbbing between us in a wave of passion. A moment later his penis replaced his fingers, thrusting into my body harshly, making my back arc higher to accommodate his size. I gasped, always pleasantly surprised by how full he made me, how aching and burning I was from the moment he touched me.

"Rin." Sesshomaru's eyes were a deep red as he thrust rhythmically, my legs wrapped around his shoulder to allow more access. I groaned when he pushed into my harder, moaning when the frenzy began to build within me, taking me higher and higher until I shattered into a million pieces, gasping his name and he shouted mine, grasping me tightly to him as he came, his seed spilling inside of me.

I was panting heavily, the wind almost completely knocked out of me and when I looked up at the demon was wasn't having any difficulties after an impromptu round of sex, I laughed through my deep breathing. "One day I'm going to give you the best sex of your life and you're going to be breathing just as heavily as I am."

He gave me one of his rare smiles before bending down and kissing my lips passionately. "Ever time with you is the best."

I snorted and pushed him off of me. "You've been alive for like a million years. I refuse to believe that I'm the best you've ever had, especially considering a few months ago I was a virgin."

"Loving you and being mated to you makes it the best." I rolled my eyes, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and pushing him off of me.

I stood from the bed and stretched, loving the way my muscles were sore. From the purring like noise coming from the bed, I had a sinking suspicion someone was also loving the way I stretched. "I think I might go take a shower." I looked over my shoulder, smiling slyly at the demon spread out along the bed. "I would ask you to join me, but you just got out and you have to get ready."

I barely made it into the bathroom before I felt his presence looming behind me. Smiling to myself, I hoped I would be enough of a distraction for us to miss our appointment with the devil.

* * *

I planted my head in my hands, hiding in the bathroom at the restaurant, dreading the fact that I would have to go back out there to _her_. Inukimi. She had been as beautiful as I could have assumed her to be. She had similar markings to Sesshomaru, hair the exact same shade and length. She also had a very similar demeanor as Sesshomaru, meaning that if she didn't like you, she didn't talk to you. So besides Inukimi and Sesshomaru talking in similar dull tones, the brunch had been remarkably silent, except for the hush of other patrons out to enjoy a few mimosas and a very expensive salad (who ate that for breakfast?!). I'd attempted in vain to start up a few different conversations, but she was apparently irritated that we'd been engaged for over five months (so the whole time we'd known each other) and she was just now meeting me after she had to be the one to schedule the gathering. I could understand her frustration, but the demoness was just plain frightening with her disapproval, giving me menacing glances and narrowed eyes whenever she was sure her son wasn't looking.

I had escaped as soon as possible, growing restless at the silence, feeling, _knowing_, she was judging me harshly behind her cruel eyes. Now, besides nearly hyperventilating in the bathroom, I was wondering if I should even go back out there to face the awkwardness, or just high tail it out through a server entrance, hail a cab and send Sesshomaru and apology text. As tempting as that thought was, I knew I couldn't do it. Sesshomaru would probably be cross with me, and his mother would have the satisfaction of knowing she'd scared me away.

Did I really want that?

Sighing, I pulled my hands away from my head, standing up straight and gazing at myself ruefully in the mirror.

I had hunted Kagome down earlier in the morning, practically forcing her to apply some expert makeup to my face, knowing I'd never be able to make myself look so good in such short time, but luckily for me, Kagome was a master with some eyeshadow and a few brushes. She'd done that smokey deal to my eyes, making the brown pop and giving me a fierce, but sexy look. I was also wearing a sundress that stopped right at my knees. It was purple, just like Sesshomaru's stripes, and the skirt portion was pleated. I had on a pair of pearls with matching earrings and bracelet, and I was wearing white pumps.

Generally, any kind of outting usually involved flats and skinny jeans, but this was different. Important. And yet I'd found myself hiding in a bathroom with my tail tucked between my legs.

For the love of all things holy. Was I really going to let that vapid woman win? I was going to be married to one of the fiercest beings alive, I couldn't be scared so easily by someone who was going to be family. It's not like she'd tried to kill me.

_Yet._ A dark voice whispered in my head. I shook the thought away, knowing it wasn't helping. Definitely not in this type of situation.

With one last rueful look in the mirror I squared my shoulders and exited the restroom, walking down a tiled hallway and back into the the open floor plan of the restaurant that was situated on the 43rd floor of a swanky building. Three of the walls were windows, letting in sunlight from pretty much every direction. The black sparkly tiled floors radiated from the light, giving the place an even more expensive look that it already had.

I came back to the table, smiling slightly at Sesshomaru as he stood and tucked my chair under my legs. He placed a delicate hand on my shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze before sitting in his chair next to me.

"Mother and I were discussing the arrangements for the wedding. She has much desire to assist." I wanted to roll my eyes. Couldn't she tell me this herself? Instead, I smiled politely at her and leaned slightly into the table.

"With the wedding in less than two weeks, I am all ears for any advice you might have, Lady Inukimi. What did you have in mind?"

She cast a snide glance at me before speaking in the same delicate voice that happened to be devoid of anything but contempt. "I would like for you to end this farce of an engagement with my son."

I sat back in my seat, staring at her. Well at least we were clearing the air.

Lady Inukimi continued, clearly unfazed by Sesshomaru's blank expression. She might not have realized that was his fighting face, but I did. "You are a human, he is a demon. One of the last of his kind. Any children you have would be half breeds. Sesshomaru is far to noble for the likes of you, a human woman-child with no royal ties. You should leave him at once and allow him to search for his true mate."

I leaned forward again, letting my smile turn slightly predatory. I'd seen Sesshomaru smile like that once, and it sent chills down my spine. I was hoping I was having a similar affect on his mother, but considering she was older than he was, I doubted it.

"Considering I am his true mate, I think your fears of him not finding her should be put at ease immediately. As for the rest, Sesshomaru is _mine,_ and anyone who happens to think otherwise has no place in my life," I cast a glance to my side, relieved at his small life, "or Sesshomaru's. Obviously we both hope you can overlook the fact that I am human and I will bear him half demon children, but if you can't, I'm sure you can find the door out of this restaurant and be on your way." Placing my hand on Sesshomaru's thigh, I sighed in relief when I felt him in my mind, his brushing delicately against mind, sending a small wave of warmth.

He agreed with my decision and, I almost smiled to myself, he was rather pleased with my possessive attitude.

Lady Inukimi stared at me before suddenly bursting into delicate laughter. It sounded like small bells were ringing in unison, almost like elves or fairies. "Oh Sesshomaru, this one has such fire in her! I can see why you would be smitten with her." Her looks immediately turned friendly, a light gleam in her eyes as she smiled mischievously at me. I was a bit taken aback by her rapid change of tune, having expected her to burst into a fit of rage and escape the restaurant as soon as possible. Her laughing and gazing at me as if we were life long friends was definitely not something I had been expecting. "Oh dear, " she said at my expression. "Did you think I would merely hand over the greatest achievement in my life without knowing how you felt about him?"

I opened my mouth to speak but when nothing came back out, I closed it. It rarely happened when I found myself speechless, but I couldn't think of a damn thing to say. This made her laugh more loudly, almost as if she hadn't found something so hilarious in years, and for all I knew, maybe she hadn't.

I could sense Sesshomaru relaxing under her joy, although his body posture remained the same.

"Now, about this wedding..." She began to give me all sorts of ideas.

A few hours later and our brunch was leaning more towards dinner before Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "I believe we have dinner arrangements with a few clients of mine in a few hours. Mother," Sesshomaru stood and bent his head slightly in her direction.

"Oh, dear. I always forget such trivial things as time in this day and age." She stood, digging into his hand bag and grabbing a card and handing it to me. "My number is on the back, the front is the number of the wedding planner who came up with most of these ideas." I smiled at the card. "Now, she's already been paid, so make sure to put her to use. Listen to her ideas but be sure to tell her exactly what you want. Don't let her step all over you." We walked to the elevator, taking it down to the lobby as she spoke about the half demon wedding planner and her long work history.

"Everyone absolutely loves her. But that doesn't mean you must keep her. If you find her challenging or uncooperative in any way, fire her. Money is nothing to one such as me and this shall be your day." When the elevator dinged and the doors opened into the lobby, we all walked out, Sesshomaru slightly behind us. Lady Inukimi turned, planting a loud kiss on my cheek before patting my other cheek in a motherly fashion. She looked up at her son and bowed her head delicately. "Take care of this one, Sesshomaru. She's the only one you'll be getting." And with that, Lady Inukimi disappeared into a pink bubble, causing audible gasps from a few people in the lobby.

"Mother does know how to make an exit."

I turned abruptly, smacking Sesshomaru's suit covered chest. "You made me think I was meeting the devil! She was absolutely wonderful!" I sent him a playful glare before turning and flipping my long hair over my shoulder, hoping some of the strands would smack his body.

"Yes. I forget sometimes how friendly she can be to those she sees as allies."

I raised an eyebrow at him when he stepped beside me. We reached the lobby doors and I smiled at the gentleman who opened and held the door for us. Sesshomaru spoke a few words before our car was brought forward and we got inside. Sesshomaru drove off and I gazed out into the setting skyline before resuming our conversation.

"How does your mother see me as an ally?"

Sesshomaru smirked once before focusing on the road. "She sees you as an easier way to get me to do her bidding."

I burst into laughter. My shoulders shook and I nearly had to gasp for breath after a few seconds. When I'd finally gotten my breathing under control, I looked back at him. "She thinks I can make you do whatever I want, does she?"

He cast me a suspicious glance before returning his eyes to the road ahead. "I'll have to remember that the next time I want my feet rubbed." I murmured softly, knowing he would hear me, regardless.

"You do have pretty toes."

"Oh God, maybe your mom was right. Well, if that's the case, we need to seriously redecorate our bedroom. And maybe your living room. And dining room. Okay, can we just redecorate the whole mansion?"

"What is wrong with my mansion?"

"Well, your whole house is decorated in shades of black and grey. You've got almost no color scheme going on anywhere. I can't look at it forever."

"Is there anything else not to your liking?"

I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to continue after the steely tone in his voice.

"Darling, does it matter?" I kept my tone as sweet as honey.

"Well, I wouldn't want you to live in such awful accommodations." I almost laughed at his indignant tone. He had no idea I'd lived in such a shamble before with Kagome, so I wasn't sure he could understand the humor in my mind. I sighed happily and leaned over the console, giving him a swift kiss on the cheek before the seatbelt pulled me back.

"Don't worry. Any place with you is magical for me."

And with that, we drove into the setting sun.

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**BUM BUM. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! I have to tell you guys, this story is coming to its end in the next few chapters, so I hope everyone is enjoying everything at this point in time.**

**Please leave this story reviews if you've loved reading it as much as I've loved writing it (which is a lot). ****Any who, I've got some ideas coming up for another story, (Sailor Moon fanfic this time/ Can anyone say Mina/Kunzite!?) so I'm hoping to wrap this one up in a few weeks before I get fully wrapped up in another idea.**

**I hope everyone has a good day :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**HEY EVERYONE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS AND THE NEW LIKES/FAVS. REALLY MAKES ME FEEL SPECIAL. ANYWHO, THIS ONE IS A BIT SHORTER THAN YOU'RE USED TO, BUT I FIGURED IT WAS BETTER TO UPDATE NOW THAN TO KEEP EVERYONE IN SUSPENSE OF WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE IT, BUT PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW TO LET ME KNOW HOW THE STORY IS PROGRESSING. :) I EVEN WENT BACK AND READ SOME OF MY EARLIER CHAPTERS TO TRY AND GET BACK INTO THE FEEL OF THE WRITING FOR THIS STORY, SO I HOPE IT DOESN'T DISAPPOINT.**

**MO**

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The day was here. THE DAY WAS HERE.

I was getting married to Sesshomaru in the gardens of the main mansion. It was large enough to hold hundreds of white chairs, most of them connected by lavender covered sheer fabric, which were covered in deep purple and white flowers. There was also a large archway that was covered in similar flowers, where Sesshomaru and I would meet to finally become husband and wife.

I clutched my engagement ring tightly in my hand, twisting it furiously around my ring finger. I felt like my stomach would just shrivel up into some sort of black hole and suck the rest of my body into it. Or I'd just get so nervous the bones would melt from my body, leaving me laying in a human puddle on the ground.

Bleh. I needed to curb the extremely morbid thoughts. I also needed to stop thinking so seriously about the next few hours. I just needed to relax. Relaxing was fine, right?

Yes. Yes, definitely fine. I glanced up and caught my reflection in the mirror, feeling my heart rate spike painfully as reality sank back in.

Why was I so nervous? It didn't make sense. Well, I guess it kind of did make sense. Or did it?

Oh God, why was I having such a terrible time with this? It wasn't a big deal, not at all. It was just a wedding. Just my wedding. In front of 500 demons and humans, most of them probably hoping I'd fall flat on my face as I walked down the aisle. As much as I'd hoped announcing our engagement would have helped heal the hostilities of various demons thinking I was out throwing myself at Sesshomaru, it hadn't done the trick. Even nearly dying by another demon hadn't made the other demons feel bad for me or welcome me with slightly open arms. Nope, they were all still crass and irritable, as per usual.

So, I had a sinking suspicion my worries were due to the audience that would be gathered at this shindig as opposed to what I was actually going to be doing at said shindig.

I wasn't afraid of getting married to Sesshomaru, we were already more strongly bonded than a simple marriage could have caused. In fact, the thought of marrying Sesshomaru and being bonded both in the demonic and human way sent a slight flutter through my stomach, giving me a little thrill at the thought of being officially, Mrs. Sesshomaru Taisho. I also knew he wouldn't be happy to know I was worrying over what a bunch of pesky demons thought of me. He'd just glare in my direction and tell me get over it. He wasn't mated to a pansy, and I knew that. It was about time the rest of the world knew that too.

That knowledge steadied my nerves.

I looked back at myself in the mirror, idly adjusting my Vera Wang white wedding gown, ensuring it clung to my figure accordingly. It was in a ballgown shape, the bodice was tight and had lace, there was a magenta silk ribbon that wrapped around my waste and the skirt was full and beautiful. My black hair was curled and placed elegantly on top of my head. I had a thick veil, courtesy of Sesshomaru's mother, that hid my features entirely unless you lifted it.

My makeup was done by a professional who had just exited the dressing room and had left me staring at myself in the mirror in both delight and fright. I looked stunning and the smoky eyed look was pretty riveting. I felt a bit scandalous, but I had to admit, _I looked good._

There was a knock on the door before it was shoved open and a large white ballgown came into view before Kagome popped through the door, barely, what with all the tool on her skirt, and smiled over at me. She looked radiant, almost as if she were glowing, which might have been possible. She could have been working the baby glow or pre wedding glow, either way, she looked breathtaking. I felt my eyes swell with unshed tears as we looked at one another.

Who could believe at the very start of this we'd both been terrified and miserable? Now, more than four months later we were as excited as we could have been. We were happy and we were in love.

"You look beautiful," we both cried out at the same time, neither one of us containing our excitement well.

Kagome looked stunning, her hair was wavy and loose around her shoulders, floating down her back and almost touching her waist.

"When did your hair get so long?" I asked, half expecting her to tell me she'd had extensions put in for the wedding.

"Beware Rin." Kagome stated ominously, making her voice as low and creepy as possible. "Apparently carrying a partly demon baby within my womb has given me some unexpected side effects. My hair has grown three inches in four days and according to Inuyasha, I keep sending out some kind of pheromone through my skin that makes him act... quite affectionate" Her blush spread to cover her neck and collarbones before hiding beneath her dress.

My mouth dropped open. "Are you saying the smell of you is making the other demons horny?" What the hell. No way I wanted Sesshomaru around Kagome if that would cause the same reaction in him. I then immediately pictured Kagome swarmed by a mass horde of demons, intent on having their way with her. The thought was so comical I nearly laughed aloud, before deciding against it. Kagome was fragile enough, no need to make her more freaked out.

"Oh no! No, no." Kagome reiterated. "Apparently it's some kind of scent specifically for Inuyasha. It does something to the mate, apparently. Makes them want to keep on procreating, even if you're already knocked up." What, like some kind of survival instinct? Yikes. Well, kind of yikes, right? I mean, what if I was just super tired and he was more insatiable than ever? Would I even be getting a moments rest?

That thought had me grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down, fanning myself with my free hand, the other clutching the chair itself, almost as if it could give me comfort.

"Oh wow. Well..." What the heck did I think of that?

"Yeah, it's been pretty difficult to get any kind of alone time once it started. Inuyasha has been insatiable. I was surprised I even made it out of our room this morning before he could get his hands on me again."

My mouth almost popped open in shock. What if it was so much worse because it was Sesshomaru who got me pregnant? He was a full demon, after all. What if his mating instincts were more powerful, more dominating than Inuyasha's? I mean, there was plenty of worse things than I could think of than being at the mercy of Sesshomaru and his lust. My mouth watered and I swallowed quickly, trying to ignore the stirring within me, the longing that began almost immediately at the thought of Sesshomaru taking me.

That thought made my body go nearly pliant. Picturing his eyes almost molten gold in his desire, his markings becoming even more adamant along his face as he took me. The noises he made, almost purely animalistic.

Kagome cleared her throat, obviously sensing a shift in my attitude. She turned around abruptly, taking the time to run her hands down her skirt, adjusting the bodice of her gown and fluffing her curly hair. She turned back to me, staring intently enough to make me aware she knew exactly where my thoughts had been.

This time, I blushed, completely shocked I'd pretty much been fantasizing about my sex life in front of my family. "Sorry. It just made me think that if Inuyasha was bad as a half demon, what the heck was Sesshomaru going to be like. Is it going to be stronger of an urge for him since he's full-blooded?" Would it terrify me or entice me? Did I really care? The thought of Sesshomaru being nearly uncontrollable around me was such a lovely thought. Made me feel like perhaps my desires wouldn't sometimes feel one sided.

"I have no idea, but I'm sure you've got plenty of time to discuss it with him before you both decide to have children."

I turned from Kagome, looking back in the mirror and adjusting my veil as I stood from my chair, making sure to keep aware from her watchful eye. I could never forget how astute she was, how powerfully she could sense things. This was one secret I wanted to keep to myself, at least for a little while. At least until I told Sesshomaru he was going to be a father.

"You do have plenty of time, right Rin?" Kagome came to stand behind me, poking her head over my shoulder and staring at me through the mirror. I didn't say anything, because really, I didn't want to lie to Kagome. I opened my mouth, prepared to scrounge some sort of lie together, but no words came out, and I just stood floundering in front of her, like a fish out of water.

I'd been all over Sesshomaru for the last few months, barely able to contain how lustful I'd felt towards him, and boy oh boy, had he reciprocated those feelings. And what usually happened when two people had countless amounts of sex without any kind of protection? It was generally babies. Or diseases. But in this case, definitely babies. I almost groaned aloud to myself.

I'd been so careless! So reckless. How could I have just gotten knocked up like a floozy, without even thinking of the consequences of unprotected sex? I was blinded by love and lust, and now the first few years of my marriage/mate bond would be spent taking care of a child as opposed to spending as much time with my spouse as I could. It was almost unfair, but I couldn't say I would take back any of our encounters, or that I would wish away our child. Some things in life were too precious to regret, especially knowing that I was growing part of my mate within in. He was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. How could I regret that?

I managed to look back up at Kagome, whose eyes were wide with delight. I merely shrugged my shoulders at her question, smiling slightly at her bewildered gaze.

Taking this as an affirmative, Kagome squealed, throwing her arms around me and locking in an awkward hug, what with her belly digging into my lower back and causing her to bend over her belly to press the side of her face into my shoulder.

"Just think, we're going to be mothers together! Oh Rin, how exciting!"

"You have to keep quiet, Kagome. Sesshomaru has been so distracted, I haven't said anything to him yet." He'd been having some issues at the company, and although he'd never mention it to me, I also knew he was still very hard at work in his quest to find Naraku. It was extremely surprising that Naraku had remained illusive, and Sesshomaru was like a dog with a bone when it came to hunting him down.

I shook my head, clearing it of all thoughts of Naraku. No way was I going down that road, not today. I'd been tormented and nearly died. Absentmindedly, I rubbed the spot of my chest the pair of scissors had been shoved, knowing that the tiny scar I sported was hardly noticeable to me, so there was no way anyone else in the room would notice it.

Except for Sesshomaru. He seemed to take that wound as a personal failure, something I knew he blamed himself for.

"So how far along are you, Rin?"

I cleared my throat, making sure I wasn't harboring any sad feelings about how Sesshomaru felt about the Naraku incident. I could never blame him for that. _Never._

"Um. I'm not sure. I just found out yesterday."

"How does Sesshomaru not know? Inuyasha knew almost immediately!" Kagome exclaimed in a high pitch voice, making me wince before I shushed her.

"Are you trying to give it away?! I'm surprised the whole mansion hasn't heard you, Gome!" She seemed chided at my tone, making me sigh in exasperation. "I'm sorry, I'm just super stressed out. I mean, I want to tell him obviously, but he's been so busy that he hasn't even noticed that my scent has changed or anything." Not that I expected it, not really. But that was how Inuyasha had known even before Kagome, and he was a half demon.

"Well, I know he's a very busy demon. Maybe he just didn't notice last night."

"Or this morning," I said with a wistful note to my voice.

"Or this morning," Kagome agreed.

"I think I'm going to tell him tonight, after all the festivities are over and we've gone back to our home."

"Oh that's so romantic! So it'll be like your wedding gift to him!"

I smirked at her romantic tone, almost seeing the sigh leave her body as she finished her sentence.

"Well, yeah. I guess so. I hadn't thought about an actual wedding gift though."

"Oh, well I know for a fact Sesshomaru has done something for you," Kagome winked at me. My eyes widened in delight, immediately wanting to know what she meant.

"OH. YOU KNOW I LOVE SURPRISES!"

"I know you love to figure out your surprises before you actually get them because you're so impatient." I shrugged my shoulders at her words. She was definitely right about that.

I could never wait for a good spoiler.

"Oh, you have to tell me, Gome. YOU HAVE TO!"

"Just wait! You're going to love it, Rin." Kagome winked at me as the door to our room opened and Lady Izayoi stepped through, sighing happily at both of us.

"You both look so wonderful." We smiled back, thanking her for her compliment. "Are you both ready?" She asked, raising a brow in our direction.

Kagome and I clutched our hands together, gently squeezing them back and forth in comfort.

"I think we're ready," I said to her, smiling at Kagome as we turned and walked towards our future.

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**MUCH LOVE,  
-MO**


	17. Chapter 17

**HEY EVERYONE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE LOVELY COMMENTS, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.**

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The door swung behind me, closing with one final click, leaving the three of us in one of the long hallways of the main mansion. Kagome was being married first, which meant that technically I could have waited in the dressing room and just paced back and forth until my turn was up, but I wanted to give her a big hug before she moved down towards the aisle and her new future.

Originally, Kagome had wanted us to get married side by side... At the same time. And while I wouldn't have been too opposed to it, all I kept thinking was that it would be a little tacky. All I could think of was two spinster sisters finally getting married after years and years of waiting, and being so attached they couldn't even have a separate wedding. I mean, I wouldn't mind sharing an anniversary/reception with Kagome and Inuyasha, but I didn't want to get married at exactly the same time. I felt like it would kind of take away from my own experience, and even Kagome's. I didn't want that. I especially didn't want Sesshomaru to feel like he was competing with Inuyasha. He might not want to acknowledge it, but this was Sesshomaru's day too.

So, Kagome was getting married in one of the ballrooms (the reception was happening in the main ballroom where my piano was) and Sesshomaru and I were tying the knot out in the gardens, since the gardens reminded me of the first time Sesshomaru had kissed me, in the garden he'd taken me to whenever we'd made our first public appearance. It had been such a dreamy experience, and I expected it to be just as lovely, considering his mother had planned pretty much everything and I'd had almost nothing to do with it. Originally she'd given me the business card of the wedding planner she'd hired, but I'd been stressed the past few weeks trying to find the perfect gown and have it ready in such a short amount of time, plus I'd found out I was carrying another life inside of me a few days ago, so I'd asked Inukimi to make all the decisions. She'd been so thrilled I'd trusted her with such an experience, she'd been running a tight ship, demanding this and that of the wedding planner.

I knew she was going to ensure her son had the perfect wedding, especially if there were going to be hundreds of important demons lined up to see the wedding in all of its glory. She would make sure it as phenomenal. I hadn't even looked outside to get a glimpse of the decorations, wanting to be completely surprised when I walked out to my new married life. I wanted to be awestruck with the event, the look and definitely when I saw Sesshomaru waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

The thought of him in a tuxedo, waiting for me to claim him publicly sent a happy sigh coursing through me, starting in the pit of my stomach and floating through the rest of my body, leaving me feeling like I was floating on a cloud.

We made it out of the hallway, Izayoi leading the way. Luckily, there were no people lurking out in the foyer, so we weren't noticed when we went to the other side of the mansion. I let Kagome go ahead of me, lost in my own thoughts of being married soon. I was more calm now that I'd left the dressing room for some reason. Maybe because I knew Kagome was getting married first, so I had more time to gather all of my nerves and to relax.

I was beginning to wonder what Sesshomaru was up to. Was he out there with Inuyasha, sitting in the crowd of people, or was he waiting somewhere else? I knew he wasn't Inuyasha's best man, as Izayoi was Kagome's maid of honor, it only made sense that Lord InuTaisho was the best man. I didn't think Sesshomaru minded, even if Inuyasha was his best man at our shindig.

Truth be told, Sesshomaru could have probably gone without a wedding and never given a damn, but since it was a human tradition I was wanting to have, as it was the only one I would have, he was being very considerate towards my feelings and making sure that I had anything and everything I needed to make this day more special than it already was.

I took my thoughts briefly from Sesshomaru, knowing that I needed to focus on Kagome's happiness for the time being and stow my own until later.

The walk was silent and full of happy nerves. I was tempted to talk Kagome to death, but I wanted her to have a moment alone in her thoughts, focusing on what was happening. I knew without a doubt this was going to be the best day of her life. She was marrying the man she loved, the father of her child (I was still betting on more than one tucked away in there) and she was going to be taken care of, something we'd known nothing about until we became part of this family. All we'd ever known before was hardship and the struggles that came along with life, nothing else.

Too soon we reached the double doors, which were closed. Kagome turned and faced me, her eyes wide with unshed tears and a happy smile on her face.

"Oh, I think the baby is making me really hormonal." Ahem. Babies.

"It's natural, dear. Although I would suggest waiting a few minutes to make it down the aisle before letting them spill over." Izayoi smiled kindly, smoothing down her deep red bridesmaid dress. "However, if you do cry, Inuyasha will become very worried that you're upset. We all know what a fuss he can make." I snorted, covering it up delicately as possible with a cough.

Kagome cleared her throat at that, straightening her shoulders. She closed her eyes, reached out and squeezed my hands and exhaled a deep breath she'd been holding. We stayed like that for a full minute before her eyes opened, looking clear and perfect. Not one ounce of tears.

I smiled at her and squeezed her hands before letting go. "Atta girl. I knew you could do it."

I turned towards one of the tables pressed against the wall, grabbing Kagome's bouquet and handing it over. It contained creme and red roses, a deep red ribbons wrapped around the stems and covered in crystals that matched Kagome's veil.

"You look really beautiful Kagome. You're going to be an awesome wife." Then as she turned, I lightened the mood by swatting her butt and sending her on her way.

Izayoi knocked softly on one of the doors, the first knock resulting in the doors opening slowly at the same time.

I backed away quickly, not wanting to be noticed by anyone who might be inside. This was Kagome's moment and I would be getting mine soon enough.

* * *

"Oh Rin, it was the most amazing feeling in the world, Inuyasha putting that band on my finger. I thought I was going to cry, but I knew he'd lose it if I did, so I just kept thinking of what I was going to do to him later." She wiggled her eyebrows in my direction.

Kagome giggled as I shot her a disgusted look, and made a choking noise in my throat. "Gah, Kagome. You'd think after months of you two ravishing each other you'd tone it down a bit."

"Oh right, like you're any better. Started off as a virgin and now you're Sesshomaru's sex slave." Kagome poked my rib playfully.

"Ha! Do you honestly think I'm the sex slave in that relationship? I'll have you know, I call all the shots where he's concerned." Kagome snorted before laughing in my face. I kept a straight face for as long as possible before bursting into my own laughter. "Yeah, you're totally right. I can't get enough of him. He's just so dreamy." I sighed happily before touching my hair delicately with my fingertips, making sure every pin was still in place and nothing was loose.

Kagome had been back for nearly an hour, changing out of her wedding gown and into a deep purple bridesmaid dress that matched the velvet sash that wrapped around my waist and came down the side of my wedding dress.

Since she'd had Izayoi as her bridesmaid, and I didn't have anyone, Kagome had made it a point to be my bridesmaid, since it was her idea to have a wedding on the same day. So we'd taken an hour long break, allowing Kagome to change dresses and remove the veil and also for the guests in attendance to switch venues from the indoors to the garden.

Inukimi had promised to let us know when the groom and the rest of the wedding guests were ready so we could get the show on the road, but the longer I waited, the more nervous I became.

I wasn't sure what was wrong with me, but my excited nerves had taken a wicked turn the past several minutes, settling deep in my gut like a bad meal, making me feel... unwell.

I didn't know what it was, but it didn't feel like wedding jitters. It felt like something else. Something sinister.

Kagome was laughing at me one minute and the next she was staring straight ahead, almost like she was seeing through me and into something else. After a few seconds of her staring into the nothingness, I cleared my throat and gently touched her shoulder.

"Gome?"

She sucked in a deep breath and shook her head, smiling at me, although it didn't reach her eyes.

"Are you ready?"

"Well, Inukimi hasn't come to get me yet."

"I think we should go ahead anyway, Rin. We've waited long enough, yeah?"

"Yeah... Okay," I replied back, slightly confused at her odd tone. "Are you alright, Gome? You seem not quite yourself."

Kagome hesitated, obviously unsure of what she should say to me. She sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat before taking a seat on one of the plush couches.

"You know how sometimes I just know things?" I nodded. "Well, when I said being pregnant was enhancing things, I didn't just mean with my body and sexual. I also meant spiritually. And just now I sensed something I haven't felt in a while. I felt Naraku, at least, a vague impression of him." My body went cold and then hot, almost as if my brain was at war with what Kagome had said and was trying to process it all. "I just know that soon, very soon, someone is going to die. That's why I think we should just get your wedding started asap, so it won't be ruined if that ass decides to make an appearance."

"You don't think Naraku could kill Sesshomaru, right?" My hand was pressed to my heart as I awaited her answer. I knew, _I knew_ Sesshomaru was more strong, far more powerful than Naraku could ever be, but Naraku was a demon who wouldn't fight fair.

Next, my hand rubbed the mating mark on my neck, the mark that had ruined any hold Naraku had ever held on me, and the mark that had also given me everything I could have wanted.

I straightened my shoulders, knowing I was going to be afraid, not today. I knew Sesshomaru wouldn't let anyone hurt me and I wouldn't let anyone hurt him.

"Thanks for telling me Kagome." I smiled at my cousin, reaching to pull her up from the couch and towards the door. "Let's get a move on. My destiny awaits!"

* * *

The garden was exquisite. Truly. Taking in the sight before me, I barely even registered the guests that were spread out on either side of the aisle. There was a white carpet laid out on the ground in-between, giving me a path to follow to my destiny.

Sesshomaru was waiting for me at the end of that aisle. Kagome was already lined it across of Inuyasha, winking playfully at me. I smiled at Sesshomaru, soaking up the sight of him in a black tuxedo, white button up shirt and a purple tie that matched the sash on my dress perfectly.

His eyes strayed from mine, only to touch over my body, and when he lifted his eyes back to me, I could see the appreciation and the desire in them. My smile widened, knowing he was happy with my appearance and that he thought the wedding was worth it, just by seeing me.

I clutched the bouquet in my hand tightly, feeling a jitter of nerves race across my mind as I took in all the people staring at me.

I wanted to gulp in fright and run away, instead I clutched my bouquet harder before locking eyes with Sesshomaru, and walking forward to him. Always to him.

I was halfway down the aisle, feeling as if I were gliding towards him as opposed to walking. God, he looked good. I wasn't sure if it was him in a tuxedo, or knowing that in a few short minutes he was going to be mine fully, in every way.

Another step towards him and I felt a peculiar sensation that started along my waist. It was a slight tingle, almost as if my torso had fallen asleep. I stopped walking, Kagome's words of death floating through my mind. What the heck was going on?

The next thing I knew, I was yanked back and I sailed through the air, the skirt of my gown billowing around me as I gasped in panic. My hands dropped the bouquet as I was over 20 feet in the air and still going higher. I clutched at my waist, trying to feel for what was holding me, all the while my eyes were desperately looking down at the crowd, trying to find Sesshomaru.

I caught a glance of Sesshomaru and his widened eyes, before he disappeared into a ball of light, reappearing next to me and grabbing ahold of whatever was tugging at my waist, using his claws to sever the connection to me and whatever was dragging me. I should have been frightened, knowing Kagome had been right and Naraku was behind this, but seeing Sesshomaru by my side, rescuing me from danger, it made me turned on more than it made me scared.

There was an angry hiss behind me as his claws struck and split apart the thing holding me hostage and I dipped down toward the ground before Sesshomaru had me in his arms, floating me quickly down to Inuyasha and his father before turning away. He leapt into the air and shifted from a man into his true demon form.

He growled low in his throat before disappearing into the clouds, obviously chasing my assailant. I should have been scared or even terrified, knowing I'd come close to death and Kagome's feeling had been about death, but knowing Naraku and Sesshomaru were facing off, I knew in my gut that Sesshomaru would come back to me in one piece. No way he was letting Naraku win, especially if the prize was me.

I clutched at the waist of my gown once I remembered Naraku's vile body around my unprotected stomach, looking down in panic to make sure nothing was still attached to me. I sighed in relief, clutching my stomach and looking at Inuyasha.

"You can hear the heartbeat, right?" Inuyasha glanced at me in confusion before his eyes widened and he knelt down to my hand covered stomach, tilting his head sideways to place his ear by my stomach.

"You're both fine, Rin." I let out a breath I wasn't aware I'd been holding, my body sagging in relief. Inuyasha stood back up, giving me quick congratulatory hug before stepping back.

"Don't mention anything to Sesshomaru, alright? I still haven't told him yet and he's been so busy with work and everything I didn't want to bother him with it yet."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at me as my new family gathered close. "Feh. I'm surprised you're not freaking out because Sesshomaru's obviously gone to fight Naraku."

I waved a hand dismissively. "Nah. If anything, this is going to be the best day for Sesshomaru. Not only is he getting my personal gift tonight," I rubbed my belly in indication, "but he's also getting to destroy Naraku, and he's been wanting that for the past few months. Best wedding gifts of all time." I said the last bit happily, a bit worried myself that I wasn't in a traumatic state after having just been put in danger again, by a psycho who was waaaaaay too into me.

"Oh Rin!" Kagome came and hugged me, a bit more freaked out than I was. "I was so scared when I saw you yanked into the air! Oh, but seeing Sesshomaru charge after you within the first two seconds, I just knew he'd get you back."

I rubbed Kagome's back to reassure her before pulling away and looking towards the guests, making sure no one had run away in the excitement.

I cleared my throat and started talking to get everyone's attention.

"Hey! Thanks for coming out. If you could just give us about 15-30 minutes tops, I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru will have killed his enemy and we can go ahead and get married before the sun sets. If anyone needs to use the restroom or grab a quick refreshment, now is the time."

Lord InuTaisho laughed lowly, turning his head away to cover his expression. Inuyasha smirked at me and I just shrugged my shoulders.

If I was going to be the future Lady of the West, I needed to let all of demon kind know I wasn't worried about a little battle between Sesshomaru and an inferior demon. Besides, with our mate bond, if Sesshomaru were actually in any kind of trouble, I would sense it. Instead, the only thing I sensed was satisfaction from him and I smiled to myself. He was fine, and when he got his butt back down from the sky, that man was mine.

* * *

Please leave a review :)

-Mo


	18. Chapter 18

After a few minutes of staring up into the sky, expectantly waiting for Sesshomaru to descend upon us in all of his glory, my neck started hurting and my lower back began to ache, so I gave up my cloud searching and sat down in one of the seats we'd reserved for the guests attending the wedding. I didn't mind that some demon was going to have to stand while I sat my butt down. It was my wedding after all, and I highly doubted anyone wanted to piss Sesshomaru off.

Well, anyone other than Naraku. God. Did he really think he could just grab me from my own wedding and disappear with me into the clouds? Where the hell was he planning on taking me, anyway? Some weird floating castle or something? Yeah. As if. Like something like that could even exist.

"Do you think everything is alright?" Kagome asked me, rubbing her swollen stomach absentmindedly.

"I don't know Kagome, you're the one with the psychic mojo. Do you feel like everything is going fine up there?" I wasn't too worried, as I knew if something were seriously wrong, I'd feel it in every part of my soul. Sesshomaru and I were mated, I knew I would feel something. Right?

"I don't know, Rin. I told you I felt death in the near future, and I still feel that. I'm just not certain exactly if the feeling is directed at Naraku or not. God, I really hope it's directed at Naraku."

Me too, I thought to myself silently. I didn't think I would want to live in a world without Sesshomaru in it. Definitely didn't think I could handle it.

My hand pressed to my flat stomach and I shuddered a bit, my bare shoulders shaking awkwardly against the back of my chair. Could I raise a half demon child on my own? Was I prepared for something like that?

"Feh. Sesshomaru is too stubborn and irritating to ever die by someone as pathetic as Naraku. Given the fact Naraku almost killed you, Rin, I wouldn't be surprised to know Sesshomaru was prolonging his death. Your mate is a bit of a sadistic bastard." Kagome elbowed Inuyasha as soon as he was finished with his speech, obviously thinking his words would upset me due to the situation.

Instead, it brightened my mood. I had the utmost faith that Sesshomaru would prevail over someone as stupid as Naraku.

In fact, I could probably tug on my bond with him, mentally of course, and follow the string to his mind, getting a sense of what was going on. The only thing preventing me from doing that, however, was the thought of possibly distracting Sesshomaru. Didn't want that to happen, especially when people were predicting death and what not.

"Has Sesshomaru come back down," Lord Inu Taisho asked, coming to stand behind my chair, his hand resting reassuringly on my shoulder. I instantly relaxed at his reassuring tone.

"Not yet, but I doubt it will be much longer, right?"

* * *

Twenty more minutes passed and the mood around our small family grew more dim at each passing second. I still hadn't felt anything through our bond, but that didn't mean anything. If he was dead I wouldn't be able to feel him anymore anyway.

The thought almost had me choking back a startled cry, before I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. What was wrong with me? Sesshomaru was fine. FINE.

It had to be the pregnancy hormones, making me stress out.

I stood up from my chair, deciding that pacing back and forth might kill some time and help me work off some of the frustration that had building in my body ever since Sesshomaru had disappeared into the sky without a backward glance at me.

The jerk. It was our wedding and if that jackass thought he could die and escape his vows to me, he had another think coming. Oh yeah. I wouldn't let him get away from me that easily. Definitely not.

Yeah, like the force of my will could keep him from dying.

"I'm sure everything is fine, dear." Inukimi had materialized out of nowhere, coming up and smiling down at me. I paused in my pacing.

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I might changed forms and taken a look up above at all the action."

"So Sesshomaru is fine?" My heart soared at the knowledge that she had seen him.

"Well, he's bleeding pretty terribly and he's practically covered in cobwebs. Nasty spider keeps trapping him, but on the bright side Sesshomaru hasn't died yet."

My mouth dropped open and I wanted to sag into a pile of tool and satin fabric on the floor, kick my feet in the air and scream my denial. He was bleeding? HE WAS BLEEDING.

"My God, why didn't you help him?!" Kagome shrieked, looking about as pale as I felt.

"Well, really Kagome. How would Sesshomaru feel if his mother needed to bail him out of trouble? Besides, he got himself into this disaster, he should be able to get himself out of it. This wouldn't be the first time he's played with his food." She said all of this so matter of factly, I almost nodded in agreement at her logic. Then the worried, rational part of me started sending warning bells to my brain. Clearly the rest of me was not on board with Inukimi's response. He needed to come home now.

"Look, I'm really starting to get worried now."

As soon as the words left my mouth, my mind seemed to wander on its own, through the invisible connection that stood between Sesshomaru and myself. I was immediately in his mind, feeling an uncomfortable sensation all over his body. It was sticky and irritating and I could practically feel it all matted in my fur, which was funny as I didn't have fur, Sesshomaru did.

_Cobwebs, _Sesshomaru thought into my mind, his word like a caress along my skin.

I sighed in relief, collapsing into the chair I'd been occupying for the past 20 minutes. All it took was one word, filled with his same monotone and I was practically willing to pass out in relief. Had I really been that worried about him? He was a demon lord, after all. Silly me.

_Thank God you're alright... You ARE alright, right? I swear to God if you aren't alright I'm going to kick your ass!_

_Rin, I am fine. _

_You've been gone for over 30 minutes. We are supposed to be getting married right now. _Sheesh, for all I knew there was some weird demon code stating that duels must last at least 3 hours or something. A fortnight, maybe. Who knew with demons? They were all so weird.

_I will be down soon. _I could feel his fingers brush across my cheek in the sweetest of caresses. I closed my eyes, savoring it.

_I expect to be married to you within the hour. Just finish this already._

Instead of a response, all I felt was Sesshomaru's humor. That, more than his words, made me feel infinitely better. Of course he was fine. He barely found anything funny, so if he was amused by irritation, then he had this in the bag. His mother was right. He was playing with his food.

The thought should have made me really angry, instead all I felt was hungry. Yeah, this kid was definitely Sesshomaru's.

* * *

Another 15 minutes passed, mostly with me fidgeting around with my dress, or counting all of the petals on my bouquet. The guests had all returned, whispering amongst themselves as I sat sandwiched between Inuyasha and Lord Inu Taisho. I could only imagine what they were saying, feeling forever grateful that my super hearing hadn't kicked in yet.

Kagome had told me that and the smelling was some of the worst side affects she had experienced, which just made me extremely grateful I hadn't begun experiencing that. I didn't want to know what the guests were saying, mostly due to the dark expression on Inuyasha's face and the muttering under his breath. I'd over heard him mention killing at least 3 guests before I began to recount the bouquet, just in case I'd messed up the count the first three times.

Last I counted, I had approximately 524 petals. Kagome's had 513.

I was on the 100 and something petal when I felt more than saw movement coming from up above me. I squinted my eyes but still didn't seem to see anything. Interesting.

The feeling of completeness washed over me and I knew Sesshomaru was closing in on me.

Sure enough, less than five seconds later, Sesshomaru formed right in front of me, placing his hands over my shoulders and leaning down to brush a tender kiss across my forehead.

I sighed, all of my fear disappearing in an instant.

"Well, Sesshomaru dear, it's about time you showed up. The guests had almost decided to leave and your poor bride would have been beside herself." Inukimi piped up from somewhere to my right, but I didn't dare take my eyes off of my man.

"Did you get him?"

Sesshomaru looked at me for a moment before his lips formed into a smile. It might have been the first real smile I'd seen from him and man oh man was it frightening. Down right predatory.

I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Does that mean we can get married now? I would like you to make an honest woman out of me. You know, if its not too much trouble."

"I suppose that is acceptable." I arched a finely sculpted eyebrow at him, knowing I'd perfected his own look and thrown it back at him.

And before I knew it the guests had quieted down, I was standing at the end of the aisle, holding Sesshomaru's hands in my own as we recited our vows in front of a hell of a lot of people I didn't care about, but also my family, which made it worthwhile. When Sesshomaru said his vows all the while looking down at me and ignoring everything else, my heart leapt up into my throat, choking me with more emotion than I thought was possible, given the hellish hour I'd just gone through. True to form, Sesshomaru restrained any kind of emotion he might have shown me if we had been alone. But his hand that was holding mine squeezed ever so slightly when he slid the wedding band on my finger, his hand lacing with mine, so our rings touched one another.

I smiled up at him, knowing my eyes were watering, but I didn't care. That one touch was enough to let me know he was the one I wanted more than I wanted anything else in the entire world. Well, there might have been a tie for the small being cradled protectively in my womb, but you know what I mean.

God help me if he was anything like his father.

* * *

The reception went off without a hitch, and after some bugging, Sesshomaru led me through our first dance, ignoring Inuyasha as he catcalled us and made fun of Sesshomaru.

I don't think Sesshomaru truly minded, given he pulled me closer into his embrace and bent his head until he could smell my hair. It was perfect, until he got a wiff of something unexpected and his entire body went rigid, which was saying something as Sesshomaru always held himself rigidly.

"Rin." His tone was light but the power behind my name was intense.

I looked up at him, taking in his widened eyes and actually frightened expression. Well, obviously he knew.

I smiled weakly, unsure of how to take in his reaction. Was he happy? Shocked? The fact that he looked scared was hardly reassuring and suddenly I felt lightheaded and woozy, like I was going to faint and barf all at the same time. Then Sesshomaru cut off his feelings and I could breathe again.

Oh crap, that's what he was feeling? Stoic and untouchable Sesshomaru thought he was going to vomit at the thought of a child?

I burst out laughing, letting him twirl me stiffly around the dance floor.

How awful did it make me that I was positively relishing the fact he was out of his element and freaked out about something and I felt fine?

I clutched his hand, stopping our dance and pushing through the crowd and towards the main part of the mansion. If he was going to lose his mind about the baby, I knew he would prefer it occur out of sight from wandering eyes. Demons were worse than humans when it came to gossip and I didn't want anyone snooping on us. Not now.

We'd made it just out of demonic earshot when Sesshomaru dropped to his knees, clutching my waist and resting the side of his head along my stomach, clearing getting a look for himself at what was happening down there.

"Strong heartbeat," he murmured slowly after a few minutes of utter silence between us.

I cleared my throat, feeling a little choked up as he clutched me to him, rubbing his hand soothingly along my lower back. The sensation felt amazing, mostly due to straining it earlier in the day staring ruefully up at the sky in hope of some sign of life.

"I hope you like your gift, Sesshomaru." I whispered down at him, placing my hands on the crown of his head, smoothing back his long silver hair. I hoped our baby had hair just like his. And eyes too. In fact, an exact replica would be ideal.

"I ended a life earlier for you and now you have given me a life in return." He stood up in a flash, sweeping me up into his arms and forming a ball of light around us. The next instant we landed in our own bedroom in our home. Sesshomaru placed me gently on the bed, staring down at me before reaching down and planting a long kiss to my lips.

"I love you, Rin."

I smiled at him, looking into his golden eyes and knowing I would do anything to keep him with me. Forever.

"I love you too, Sesshomaru."

And with that, well, you know. There was a lot of sex.

Oh and also, we lived for a very long time and had lots of healthy, happy babies.

* * *

**YAY! IT'S DONE! I was really hoping I would be able to finish this story at the start of the new year and I'm glad I was able to keep my promise to myself.**

**I hope everyone loved the story and please feel free to comment and to favorite the story. I might even be encouraged to do a bonus epilogue for y'all.**

**Much love,  
Mo**


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